The Price of Forbidden Love
by Rosewick
Summary: Ruby is in an abusive relationship with Mercury and when things get to be too much, she runs, only to be found by the last person she thought would ever comfort her. Can this person save her from the abusive rage of Mercury? Or will he too end up betraying her? Rated M for later chapters. Trigger warnings are listed inside.
1. Harsh Jealousy

_**A/N: This first chapter is just a small peek of what's going on, and the situation that Ruby has been placed in. I will post trigger warnings at the beginning of each chapter, so if any of them bother you, I'd advise you to think before continuing to read the story.  
**_

 _ **Trigger Warnings: Physical and Mental Abuse**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter One: Harsh Jealousy**_

"Gah!" Ruby's body hit the floor with a thud, the young huntress in training holding her cheek as her hair concealed her face. Her body trembled with fear as her mind went a million miles a minute trying to overcome the shock and process what just happened. She slowly looked up to meet the eyes of the man before her. His normally cool, cloudy eyes were now a cold, dark stone, seething with rage. She froze in terror as their eyes met.

"Ruby..." His voice was low but held such poison and hatred that Ruby's heart sank. "What did I tell you about him?" She could see that he was controlling his anger, but just barely. His fists clenched by his sides, his cold stare pinning the girl to the floor before him.

"A-about... Wh-who?" The words that stumbled their way out of her mouth were so quiet, she doubted that he could hear her.

"You know exactly who I'm talking about. Don't play stupid with me." Sudden realization struck the huntress. Of course, that is what he'd be upset about. The grey-clad man saw in her eyes that she knew, but waited for her to respond.

"Are... Are you talking about... J-Jaune...?" The man before her clenched his teeth and tensed up as she spoke his name, the barely audible words floating throughout the room. He screamed with rage and turned to punch the wall beside him. A loud thud and crack echoed through the room as he removed his fist from the newly formed hole. Ruby gasped in both fear and disbelief as he suddenly spun back around to face her.

"WHO ELSE?! _JAUNE, JAUNE, JAUNE!_ I DON'T LIKE HIM, I DON'T LIKE HIS TEAM, AND I DON'T LIKE _SEEING HIM WITH YOU!_ " Ruby cringed, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "DID I NOT MAKE MYSELF _CLEAR_ LAST TIME?!"

The girl was full-on crying at this point. She knew he didn't like her hanging around Jaune, but he was still her friend. The small huntress put her face in her hands and sobbed between her words, "I'm s-sorry... I-I... I'm so s-sorry..."

The man crouched down and put his hand on Ruby's shoulder causing her to jump and quickly look up at him.

"I don't _ever_ want to see you with him again... _Are we clear?_ " She stared at the floor and slowly nodded, tears streaking down her face. "Good." He kissed her on the cheek-the one that he had backhanded just moments before-and looked her in the eyes for a moment before standing and walking to the door.

He paused in the doorway and looked back at her, broken and shattered, curled up on the floor. "I love you, Ruby." Without waiting for a response, he left, the door closing silently behind him.

Ruby was alone. She curled up into an even tighter ball, hugging her legs and burying her face in her knees as she continued to sob silently.

"I love you too... Mercury..."

oOoOoOo

The door to the room opened and Weiss, Blake, and Yang all rushed over to Ruby.

"Ruby! Are you okay? Where have you been, it's nearly past curfew!" Yang hugged her sister, worried after not hearing from her all day. Yang pulled slightly away and was about to say something else, until she caught a glimpse of the bruise on Ruby's cheek. Upon a closer look, her little sister's eyes were red and puffy, and she looked beyond exhausted.

Noticing the change in Yang's expression, Ruby backed up and put her arms out to calm her sister before she exploded with rage. "Sis, don't worry. I'm fine!" She faked her best smile, trying to convince her older sister that everything was alright.

"Fine? FINE?! What happened to you! You're face is all banged up! Grrh, if I find whoever did this to you, I'm gonna-!"

"Yang..." Blake put her hand on her partners shoulder the moment her hair started glowing. "Shouldn't we let Ruby explain what happened before we jump to conclusions?" Yang slumped her shoulders slightly and looked back to her sister.

"Alright, what happened?"

"Well... You guys have to promise not to laugh..." Ruby brought a hand to the back of her head as if she was embarrassed and cast her eyes down to the floor.

"We promise." Blake removed her hand from Yang's shoulder and all three girls looked to Ruby.

"Okay..." Ruby let out a small sigh before speaking, "I was out in the woods practicing with my semblance... Aaand I kinda crashed into a tree." She bowed her head to hide her face, acting as if she was ashamed of herself. Ever since she had started dating Mercury, she's gotten pretty good at acting and making up excuses.

A small snicker could be heard and Ruby looked up to see Yang covering her mouth and averting her gaze to hold in her laughter. Weiss rolled her eyes and put her hand on her hip, the other one motioning to Ruby, "You dolt! I was worried that something happened when it was just you being clumsy? I don't know why I bothered..." She turned around and climbed into her bed, rolling over and closing her eyes to sleep.

Yang reached over and ruffled her little sisters hair, "Get some sleep Rubes. You can try again tomorrow!" She smiled before hopping up into her own bed for the night.

Blake on the other hand wasn't so easily convinced. Her and Ruby locked eyes for a moment. Blake knew exactly what was going on, and Ruby saw it. She averted her gaze causing Blake to shake her head slowly. She spoke under her breath, "Ruby... If you ever need to talk, I'm here for you. You don't have to go through this alone."

Ruby wanted to reach out and hug Blake. She wanted to cry into her arms and tell her everything, but she stayed quiet out of fear. Blake had told the team about her past with Adam, and how abusive he could be at times. She knew the signs and she knew the pain. And she knew that Ruby was in the same situation. Blake was the one that understood what Ruby was going through, even if she denied it. There was no hiding the pain in her eyes. Ruby was just grateful that she hadn't told the rest of the team. She didn't want Yang to overreact and end up hunting Mercury down like a dog and ending his life. Blake understood that that would only make things more complicated, both for Ruby and for the team. So she kept her mouth shut, waiting until Ruby felt the need to come to her. And when she did, Blake would be there for her. Her team would be there for her.

"Good night, Ruby." Blake took one last look at the huntress, her eyes full of sympathy, before heading to bed herself.

"Thanks... Good night." Ruby quietly changed into her PJ's and hopped into the bunk above Weiss. She curled up into a ball under her covers and hugged her pillow. Where did things go wrong? Why didn't she realize how horrible Mercury was sooner? This was all her fault... Mercury only did cruel things because of her. _I got what I deserved. It was all my fault._ She told herself this over and over, eventually burying her face into her pillow and quietly sobbing herself to sleep.

* * *

 _ **Hi guys! Rosewick here!**_

 _ **This is my very first fanfic, so I hope you guys enjoy it, and we'll see where it goes from here.**_

 _ **I'll admit that I'm not one to stick to commitment, so don't expect regular updates, sorry.**_

 _ **I mostly work on this during my free time, whether it be at home, school, or just out and about. I also have an initial plan of where I want this story to end up, and what major events I want to happen throughout it, I'm just working on getting to those points, and putting some filler in between them.**_

 _ **Please, rate and review! Give tips, advice, opinions, anything really. Just no negative and hateful comments. Nobody likes a Negative Nancy.**_

 _ **Also, a little side note: If you haven't noticed from the name, I ship Rosewick! It's one of my OTP's! If you don't care for that ship, or are strongly opposed to it, then I'd advise you not to continue reading this story, as it will mostly center around this ship. Again, if you don't like the ship, then that's your opinion. Keep it to yourself, and don't read my stuff. It's that simple.**_

 _ **Thanks for reading, and I'll try to post the next chapter soon!**_

 _ **Rosewick out! ^_~**_


	2. Your Fault

**_Hiya, Rosewick here!_**

 ** _My best friend read this last night, and she got souper excited over it. Everyone wanted me to continue it, so I spent the entire day thinking and plotting this chapter._**

 ** _I took into consideration some of the reviews (*cough* MidnightRoyalty *cough*) and added a few things to the story._**

 ** _Trigger Warnings: Detailed Gore, Physical and Mental Abuse, Violence_**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 2: Your fault**_

 _Ruby ran down the halls of Beacon in her PJ's, her breathing heavy and her face dripping sweat. She was searching desperately, trying to find someone,_ anyone _. She ran as fast as she could growing frustrated at the fact that she couldn't activate her semblance. The hallway seemed to stretch on forever._ What am I looking for? _She was tired and her body ached from all the running. Her body finally gave out and Ruby stumbled to the floor._ Why? Why am I so weak? _She looked up and was surprised to see two doors in front of her on either side of the hallway. The left door belonged to team RWBY, while the door to the right belonged to team JNPR. The young girl let out a sigh of relief and went to push herself up off the floor. She couldn't. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't pick herself up. The door to her right opened and Ruby saw Mercury walk out. Why was he in JNPR's room?_

 _"Mercury...?"_

 _He looked down at the huntress and his gaze softened. He smiled a smile that warmed Ruby's heart and practically made her melt into the floor. Though he rarely used it, that smile was one of the things that Ruby loved about him._

 _"Hello, my darling little gem. What are you doing on the floor?"_

 _"I uhh..." She looked down at the floor below her, "I can't seem to get up."_

 _Mercury shook his head and smiled, "Finally crashed and burned after all those cookies, huh? Here, let me help you." He walked over to Ruby and picked her up bridal style. Her face flushed red like roses as Mercury tenderly hugged her to his chest._

 _"Wh-what were you doing in JNPR's room?" She peeked up at him, her cheeks still a bright rosey colour._

 _"Want me to show you?" His warm smile turned to a sickly smirk and his grey eyes filled with excitement._

 _The smirk made Ruby a little uneasy and her gut was telling her to run. She had to get away from Mercury. But wasn't the whole point of coming here to find someone? She should be happy that she's not alone, so why did she want to run away so badly?_

 _Ruby shook the feeling away and nodded at Mercury, her silver eyes filled with wonder. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't curious. Mercury reached over and gripped the doorknob, slowly pushing the door open for Ruby to peek inside._

RUN!

 _She regretted asking anything. Why didn't she run? She should have gotten far away from here as fast as she could. Ruby gasped and hid her face in Mercury's chest._

 _"Is something wrong, my little gem?"_

 _Ruby glared up at the man holding her. "What did you do to my friend?!" Tears were stinging her eyes as anger built up inside her._

 _"What did_ I _do? No..." He shook his head, the sick smirk still plastered on his face, "What did_ you _do?_ You _did this, little gem. You force me to take such drastic measures." He gave her a wicked smile and she felt sick to her stomach. He reached up and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look back at the room._

Blood _. There was blood everywhere. There was so much blood._ Too _much blood. In the center of the room was a body, the blonde hair being the only source of identification on the mangled up mess._

Jaune.

 _His face was bruised and beaten, blood dripping from his nose and the corners of his mouth. His deep blue eyes were glossy and had a misty veil over them as they stared blankly up above. A few fingers were missing from his hands and his left leg was bent at an unnatural angle, the bone protruding from his knee. His right leg was nowhere to be found, leaving a bloody stump in it's place. His stomach was cut open, his internal organs scattered about. But worst of all his own sword, Crocea Mors, was sticking out of his chest, impaled straight through his heart. Blood was oozing out of nearly every inch of his body, soaking his blue onesie a deep shade of crimson and pooling on the floor below him. On the walls of the room, written in blood, was_ Ruby Rose.

 _Mercury leaned down and whispered in the girl's ear, "Remember, little gem? This is your fault. I warned you about this, but you didn't listen... I don't like him, I don't like his team... And I don't like him_ hanging out with you _._ You _killed Jaune."_

NO!

Ruby woke up sweating, her hair sticking to her face and her breathing heavy. She looked at her clock and saw that only an hour had passed since she got back to the dorm room. Fear was coursing throughout her body as she hugged her pillow tighter, telling herself that it wasn't real. She was only dreaming. Dream or not, though, it still terrified her. Would Mercury really do such an awful thing? He's cruel, but he's not that cruel... Right? Ruby realized that it was going to be a long night without any sleep, so she just curled up and waited for morning to come.

oOoOoOo

Mercury made his way back to his dorm room, rage still boiling inside of him. Why won't she learn? Why doesn't she understand? He knew more than anyone that life was cruel, but can he not just have this one thing? _All I want is Ruby._ It was that simple. He just wanted Ruby all to himself. Nobody else could have her. But why her? Why did it have to be Ruby? Because she cares. Ruby was the first person to ever show him kindness and love. Mercury has spent his whole life with people who could care less about him. His father, Cinder, Emerald, all of them. None of them care about his opinions or how he feels. To them, he's just another pawn, a trained assassin who doesn't have a family to miss him if he dies.

But Ruby was different. She put up with his difficult personality and continued to stay by his side. Even when he pushed her away, she'd push back. She was his rose in a garden of weeds. _She and she alone showed him kindness, so he and he alone will be the only one she gives it to._ He didn't like it when Ruby was around others, because he wanted her to be around him. With Ruby nearby, the world seemed like a much simpler place. After they started dating, everything was just perfect... Until he saw her with Jaune.

Of course they were just friends, but Mercury couldn't help the jealousy building up inside of him. Ruby with another male. The thought made him sick. She should only have eyes for him, so why was she still hanging around with that idiot? Her team too. All of them are just in the way, blocking his path to her.

At first he wasn't violent, no, he just voiced his opinion of her and Jaune. Of course, she got upset and started ranting about how they were friends and that she can't just stop talking to a friend, it'd be rude. Mercury accepted her decision and figured that it'd be okay for her to stay friends with Jaune. And everything was okay, for the most part. Deep down, though, he still despised the thought. Every time he saw Ruby and Jaune in the same room together, he'd just get angrier, until he couldn't take it anymore.

 _(One week earlier)_

Ruby and Jaune were walking in the courtyard together, laughing and joking with one another. Mercury was sick of it. _Enough is enough._ He walked over to Ruby and grabbed her arm, jerking her slightly towards him.

"Hey!" She shot him an angry look.

"Ruby, can I talk to you for a minute?" Mercury kept his voice low, his piercing gaze locked onto her.

"Can you not wait until I'm done with Jaune? We were in the middle of something."

"No, we need to talk. Now." His grip on her arm tightened and she winced.

"Stop! That hurts, Mercury!" She tried to pull her arm away, but he had a grip of steel.

"Hey man, why don't you-" Jaune didn't get to finish his sentence because Mercury turned and decked him in the face. He fell to the ground, his hands covering his face in pain.

"Jaune!" Ruby ran over and fell to her knees next to Jaune, putting one hand on his back and the other caressing his face. "Jaune are you okay?!"

Jaune just moaned, so Ruby took his hand and removed it from his face. She gasped when she saw blood coming from his nose, which was starting to turn a slightly purple colour. Her soft gaze towards Jaune quickly turned to a deadly glare which she shot at Mercury.

"Mercury, why did you do that? What's wrong with you?!" Her adorable little face was scrunched up in anger as she waited for a response.

Mercury just stood there, the fury building up as he watched Ruby run to Jaune's aid. _Why is she defending him? He's just a friend, and I'm so much more than that. So why?_ "I don't want you to hang out with Jaune anymore."

"Why?! Jaune hasn't done anything wrong, so why'd you punch him just now?!"

"Because he was with you." Mercury was losing his patience, his voice growing slightly louder.

"So what? That doesn't give you the right to attack him like that!"

"He was trying to interfere with our business!"

"Only because you interfered with ours, you _jerk_!" After that little outburst, Ruby proceeded to help Jaune up off the ground. "C'mon, let's get you to the nurse."

"RUBY, COME HERE DAMNIT!" Mercury's fury had reached it's limit and exploded. He wouldn't tolerate this any longer. She was his, damnit, and his alone!

Ruby turned around with an angry glare, about to retaliate when she saw the look on Mercury's face. He was staring at her so intensely that it struck fear into the girl. She froze on the spot, unable to look away from him. The man stormed over to her and grabbed her by the hair, causing her to yelp in pain, before throwing her to the side and away from Jaune. He grabbed the front of Jaune's shirt and lifted him up to eye level.

"If you tell anyone about this, you won't live to see the pain I cause her. You hear me?" Jaune gulped and nodded, fearful for Ruby's safety. "Good." He threw Jaune back to the ground and kicked him in his stomach, making him curl up in pain. Mercury then turned back to Ruby who was watching Jaune in horror. Only when Mercury was walking back towards her did she snap out of it. The look of pure rage on his face frightened her as he approached.

"M-Mercury...?" Her voice trembled almost as much as her body as she looked up to her boyfriend.

"Let's go."

"But-!"

"I said _LET'S GO_!" Mercury grabbed her arm and forcefully yanked her up. Still holding on to her, he half dragged her through the gates of Beacon and into town. He brought them down a dark alley then let go of the girl, spinning her to face him. " _Why?_ Why won't you just _listen_ to me?!"

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"Why do you insist on being with that Jaune guy, huh? Is he that important to you? He's not your boyfriend, so why did you choose _him_ over _me_ back there?!" His face was inches away from hers as he yelled at her.

"B-because... Y-you..." She scrunched up her face and yelled back, "Because you hurt him for no reason at all!"

"I hurt him because I don't _like_ him!"

"You hurt him because you're a big, stupid, _jerk-face_!"

A loud _slap_ echoed off the walls of the alley as Mercury's palm collided with Ruby's cheek. The force of it had twisted her body to the side and she held her face, staring at the ground.

"I hurt him because he was with _you_. And I'll hurt _you_ if it keeps you away from him." The girl stayed quiet as small droplets formed in the corners of her eyes. Mercury leaned over so that his face was next to hers, "And if you continue to see him, I might not be able to hold myself back anymore. You wouldn't want to put Jaune in danger would you?" He smirked as Ruby's face shot up to stare at him.

"What?"

"All I ask, is that you stay away from him. It's simple. If you can do that, then nobody has to get hurt. Right, little gem?" He squeezed her shoulder tightly as he told her.

"Y-yes... I... I'll stay away from Jaune."

"Good. Oh, and one more thing, little gem." He grabbed her chin and tilted her face up to look at him, their lips inches apart. "If you mention a word about any of this to anyone, I'll make you regret it." She slowly nodded and he kissed her on the lips, like he had done several times before. He then let go of her chin and stalked off back towards Beacon, leaving the small huntress alone to process everything.

 _(Back to present)_

Mercury reached his room and opened the door to find Cinder and Emerald talking. He strode into the room and grabbed a magazine, flopping onto his bed and skimming through it. Cinder narrowed her eyes as she watched the boy, instantly noticing that something was off.

"Is there something you wish to discuss with us, Mercury?"

"No."

Cinder's eyes glowed with anger. How dare he disrespect her! " _Excuse me?_ " Emerald's eyes grew wide as she looked between Cinder and Mercury. If a fight were to break out, she'd jump to Cinder's aid within seconds.

Mercury sighed, "No, _ma'am_."

"That's what I thought. You will speak to me with _respect_ , Mercury. I will not tolerate any of this attitude."

"Yes _mom_."

"Ugh, now you're starting to sound like Roman. Please, stop." Emerald put her fingers to her temple. "Just one of him is too much."

"Quiet, both of you." They all got silent and looked to Cinder. "We have more work to do tomorrow, so get to sleep. And it's not up for discussion. _Are we clear?_ "

"Yes, ma'am." They both said as they got ready for bed.

"Good." Cinder smirked at the obedience of her underlings. Soon, everyone will obey her. She just needs a little more time...

* * *

 _ **I'm back :3**_

 _ **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and reviews are always helpful!**_

 _ **Also, I'm taking ideas on what Cinder's plan should be, so if you have anything good, just message me! It has to be suuuuper evil and villainous and baaaaaaad~! :3**_

 _ **Now on to the reviews :D!**_

 _ **PattyPOP: He's not a COMPLETE dick, he's just... Going/gone through a lot of shizznits... Also, I can't wait for Roman to appear too! Don't you worry though, the fabulous and sexy villain shall appear soon! Soon...**_

 _ **Nox Dracul: LET'S GO! FUCKING ROSEWICK YAAAAAAAAAAAAS! 3 I'm glad you like the story! And don't worry, everything will be explained in time. As I said above, sooooon...**_

 _ **MidnightRoyalty: YES! I am Rosewick Trash and I am proud! I put in a small glimpse of Mercury's thoughts for you! There will be more down the road too. Also, I shall start reading your stuff and get back to you on that soon ^_~!**_

 _ **Jauney Boy: I'm glad you like it! Thanks for telling me! Knowing that people enjoy my work inspires me to write more! ^u^**_

 _ **Savannah: Duty, LOL!**_

 _ **Thanks for reading guys! I'll start working on the next chapter!**_

 _ **Rosewick out ^_~!**_


	3. The Dance

**_Hiya! Rosewick here! Sorry for not updating in a few days, I've been a little busy. Anyway, here's the chapter you've all been waiting for!_**

 ** _Trigger Warnings: Physical and Mental Abuse_**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 3 - The Dance**_

After what seemed like hours, Ruby rolled over to once more gaze upon the clock.

 _6:03_

She sighed and quietly sat up. The rest of her team was still sound asleep, and it'd be at least another hour before any of them woke up. Well, Weiss and Yang anyway. Apparently team CFVY's mission was taking longer than expected, so Weiss and Yang were asked to take their place in planning the Vytal Festival's dance. A dance which was taking place tonight. Ruby refrained from groaning out loud as the thought of her wearing pumps and no hood crossed her mind. Maybe she could fake being sick? No, Yang wouldn't buy it. She could run away for the night? No, Yang would tear the city apart looking for her. She sighed once again. _I guess I'll just have to go..._

Slowly, Ruby hopped down from her bunk and grabbed her hood, clipping it on and stepping into her boots. She grabbed her scroll from the bookshelf by the window and slowly opened the door. A small _click_ could be heard as she closed it and started heading to the courtyard. Perhaps a walk and some fresh air could clear her mind.

She got to the elevator and pressed the down button, waiting as it came to her floor. When the door opened Ruby was surprised to see that it wasn't empty. In front of her stood none other than Headmaster Ozpin, his coffee mug in one hand and his cane in the other. Surprise washed over his face for a split second before it returned to his normal calm, and he smiled warmly at Ruby.

"Good morning, Miss Rose. Going somewhere?" He moved to the side and allowed her to enter the elevator, pressing a button so that they could go to ground level.

"Well, uh. I was just going to go for a walk in the courtyard. Oh! And good morning!" She was glad that her aura had worked overnight to heal the bruise that Mercury left on her face, as Ozpin surely would have asked about it.

"Hm. I was just about to head there too. Mind if I accompany you?"

"Oh, uh, sure. That's fine." They sat there in a silence that was almost too awkward for Ruby. She slowly rocked back and forth on her heels until the door opened up to the outside. It was still kind of dark out, the sun barely peeking over the horizon. A small chilly breeze blew past and Ruby hugged her cloak around her body. They both started walking down a path that lead to the courtyard and the gardens, admiring the crisp air and serenity that came with dawn. After a few moments, Ozpin broke the silence.

"So, Miss Rose. What's been troubling you?"

Ruby turned her head to look up at him, her silver eyes wide. "How'd you know that something was wrong?"

He smiled, still looking ahead, "Well, why else would you be up at six in the morning, taking a stroll through the gardens?"

"Well, I uhh... Good point." She looked down at her feet, her pink and white rose PJ's conflicting with her big clunky red and black boots. She felt silly now that she thought about how ridiculous she must look, in front of the headmaster no less. "I'm not really sure what to do. You see, M and R have a thing going on, and R is friends with J. R and J like to hang out a lot, but M doesn't like R being around J. So M goes and hurts J in front of R, and R didn't like that very much, so R got upset with M, who got angry with R and hurt R just like J. So now whenever M see's R with J, M get's angry and hurts R, but R doesn't want to stop hanging out with J because J is R's friend. But M is R's friend too. R doesn't want J to get hurt anymore, so R stops hanging around with J. But R still doesn't know what to do, because R still wants to be friends with J, but R's still scared of M." She sighed, twisting her fingers together in front of her.

"Well, has R tried talking to M about how they feel?"

"Yes, but M just hurt R again. M _really_ doesn't like J."

"Hmm... M doesn't sound like a very good friend. Perhaps R should reconsider who's more important in this situation. If M keeps hurting R, then R should realize that M isn't really a friend at all. Has R tried ending things with M?"

"No, she hasn't."

"And why is that?"

"Because R is scared..." Tears were starting to form at the corners of Ruby's eyes and she cursed herself for not being able to hold them back.

"What does R have to be scared of? R has many friends to back her up, does she not? She shouldn't have to sacrifice everyone else just so that she can stay friends with M, who isn't much of a friend at all."

She knew that Ozpin was right. She has her team, Jaune's team, and many other people who would help her. So why was she so scared? She's a huntress for Dust's sake! If she can take on a bunch of Grimm, then she can take on one person too. Ruby knew she had a decision to make, and she knew what she was going to choose. "Thank you Professor Ozpin! I think that R knows what to do now." She smiled up at the headmaster, and he kindly smiled back. "I should get going now, my team should be waking up soon!"

"Of course. Oh, and Miss Rose?" Ruby turned back around to face Ozpin, "Do be careful. And if you ever need to talk, please, just ask." His face was laced with concern for the young huntress. The girl nodded and half skipped back to the elevators, ready to take on the day.

oOoOoOo

The large double doors opened and Yang looked up, her eyes and her smile widening as she nearly jumped up with excitement, "Oh, you look _beautiful_!" She squealed as Ruby growled with annoyance.

"Grrh... Hnng... Can we have a serious talk about how Weiss fights in these? Woah, woaah!" She started to stumble forward, barely keeping her balance as she walked in her heels. Yang laughed as she watched her little sister. At least she was trying.

"You'll get the hang of it, it just takes some getting used to!" Ruby made it over to her sister, who wrapped her up in a tight embrace. "Besides, it's only for one night!"

"Yeah, after tonight I'll never wear heels again." Yang let go of her little sister and giggled once more.

"Why don't you go and enjoy the party sis? I've got a few more people to wait for, then I'll come and join you!" Ruby nodded and continued to clumsily stagger through the room.

She felt slightly embarrassed as a few people watched her struggle, silently laughing to themselves. _Geez, this night is never gonna end._ She made it to the punch table and stood there, waiting for Yang. A few moments later Weiss stood next to her, her hand on her hip as per usual, and a slight frown on her face.

"Oh, hey Weiss! Why aren't you out there dancing? That seems like your sort of thing."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She looked at Ruby with an annoyed expression.

"Oh, uh! Nothing! I just thought that you enjoyed things like this! You know, with all the planning... and uh... People..."

"Hmph. Yes, it is quite lovely. And not everyone who comes from a wealthy family enjoys dancing you know. Besides, I have nobody to dance with. That's all." She crossed her arms over her chest and looked out at all the people dancing. Her face was stern, but her pale blue eyes showed longing. The two girls looked over to see Blake dancing with Yang, a smile on both of their faces.

Ruby slowly turned to Weiss, "Uhm, Miss Schnee?" She bowed slightly and held out her hand towards Weiss, trying not to wobble as she struggled to balance. "Would you care to dance with me?" Ruby didn't know if that was how you properly ask someone to dance or not, but she knew she got her point across anyway.

Weiss raised an eyebrow and shifted her weight over to one side. A small grin found its way onto her face, and she turned her head to the side. "Y-you dolt. You can barely walk in those shoes, how am I to believe that you can dance in them?"

"Well... I could take them off...?" Ruby would do anything to get out of these shoes at this point.

"No." Weiss rolled her eyes at Ruby, "Do you even know how to dance?"

"Um, no. No I don't." Ruby turned her gaze to the floor in embarrassment, causing Weiss to smile.

"It's fine Ruby. Thanks for trying anyway." She watched as Ruby perked up a little.

"Good! As long as my team is happy, I'm happy!" Weiss rolled her eyes and watched as Yang finished her dance with Blake and walked over to join the two, leaving Sun with the faunus. The three of them watched as Blake laughed, clearly enjoying herself.

"I told you she would come." Yang grinned, as the other two girls felt relief. They had all spent the last few days trying to convince Blake to rest and come to the dance with them, but she would only refuse. Ruby didn't know how Yang did it, but she was glad that Blake was here.

"Mission accomplished." Weiss smiled as she watched the couple dancing.

"Sooo... What do we do now?" Ruby turned to look at Weiss, then Yang.

Yang threw her hand to the side and turned to walk away, "Just have fun!" Ruby turned to look at Weiss, but she had walked away too, leaving Ruby by herself at the table.

"Does that mean I can change out of these stupid things and into my hood now?" Realizing that she had been ignored, Ruby turned back towards the ballroom, growling slightly, "Grrh... Stupid lady-stilts." She slumped her shoulders slightly before perking up when she heard a voice behind her.

"Not enjoying yourself?"

"Oh, no! Everything's fine! I'm just not much of a fancy-pantsy... Dancey kinda girl..."

Ozpin smiled, "Well, you can't spend your entire life on the battlefield. Even if you may want to."

Ruby crossed her arms and furrowed her brows, "Yeah, that lesson's been floating around a lot lately."

Ozpin's gaze roamed back over to the dance floor and he spoke up, "If you think about it, fighting and dancing aren't so different. Two partners interlocked... Heh, although, one wrong move on the ballroom merely leads to a swollen foot."

"Or a twisted ankle..." Ruby looked down at her shoes, cursing them silently.

"It's not every day that friends are able to come together like this. Time has a way of testing our bonds, but it's nights like these that can help keep them stronger than ever. Nights like these are ones we'll never forget." Ruby smiled and looked back out to the dancers. Ozpin was right. Everyone was enjoying themselves, not worrying over being hunters or huntresses, or anything else for that matter. Tonight, they were all just friends enjoying themselves and having a good time.

The large double doors opened up once more and Ruby turned to see Emerald and Mercury walk in. Anxiety crept it's way up to her and she had to refrain from expressing her fear. Ozpin slowly walked away to join Glynda and Ironwood, leaving Ruby alone at the punch bowl. She watched as Yang smiled and greeted them.

"You guys are just in time!"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world..." Mercury's eyes scanned the room, finally resting on Ruby over by the punch bowl. He smirked and walked over to her, leaving Emerald alone. "Good evening, little gem." His hand caressed her face, making her blush heavily. Ruby had to admit, Mercury looked good in a suit. _Really_ good.

"H-hey Mercury." She smiled up at him, hiding her anxiety.

"What are you doing all alone over here?" A small frown marred his features as sympathy shown on his face. "Shouldn't you be with your team?"

"Oh, well, uh... They are all busy doing other things... So I just kinda came over here..." She awkwardly averted her gaze, causing Mercury to smile.

"Ever the social little gem, huh?" He slowly bowed and held his hand out to Ruby, causing her to blush even more. "May I have this dance?"

Inside, Ruby was panicking. _What do I do? I can't dance!_ "U-uh... I-I... I can't... Dance..."

Mercury looked up at her, surprised, "You can't? Well then, I know how to fix that." He smiled and grabbed Ruby's hand, leading her to the dance floor. She squeaked as he picked her up and placed her feet on top of his before started to move around slowly. "There. This isn't so bad, is it?"

"N-no..." She hid her face in his chest as they glided around the ballroom. "B-but if my sister sees us..."

"Don't worry about her, just enjoy yourself, little gem."

Ruby wanted to enjoy herself, but she couldn't help the growing terror of what she had to do tonight. How was Mercury going to react? Would he do anything in front of all these people? She feared for what would happen if his anger got the best of him. Mercury noticed the conflicting look on Ruby's face and he grabbed her chin, tilting her head to look up at him.

"What's wrong, little gem?"

"I uh... It's just that-" Suddenly, laughter erupted through the crowd. Ruby and Mercury both turned to see Jaune walking through the ballroom... Wearing a _dress_. They both gawked at him as he approached Pyrrha, who started laughing at him.

"Jaune, you didn't have to!"

He smiled, "Hey, an Arc never goes back on his word. Now do you wanna stand there and laugh at me? Or do you wanna dance?" He held a hand out to Pyrrha who gently placed her own into his.

"I would _love_ to dance. Oh!" He pulled her into his arms and spun them both onto the dance floor, Pyrrha nearly squealing with excitement.

"Ren! This. Is. _HAPPENING_!" Nora happily looked to Ren, who stood there with a cup in his hands.

"Wait. What is happening?" She grabbed his hand and eagerly pulled him to the dance floor, each of them flanking Jaune and Pyrrha as team JNPR started dancing together.

"Well. That was unexpected." Mercury turned his attention back to Ruby.

"Yeah... Who knew they could dance so well?"

"Now, what were you going to tell me?"

"Oh..." Ruby stepped back so that she could look at Mercury. "Listen... I... I don't think that we should see each other anymore." She stared at the floor, twisting her fingers together. "I just... It's just that... You've changed. _A lot_. And... I just don't think that things will work out between us... And... I'm really sorry..." She looked back up to meet Mercury's eyes, squeaking slightly when she saw the pure fury in them.

" _What?_ " His voice was low and could barely be heard over the music playing.

"I-I-I um-! I just-! I-!" Mercury grabbed her hand tightly and lead her to the large doors leading out of the ballroom. Once they got outside, he turned and brought her around the corner of the building and out of the entrance. Once they were alone, he spun her around to face him and gripped her shoulders tightly.

"What exactly is going through your head?"

"I- I um! I d-don't unders-stand what you m-mean!"

"WHY?!" The small girl flinched and shrunk back a little as he shouted at her. "IS IT JAUNE?! BECAUSE HE OBVIOUSLY DOESN'T WANT YOU. HE'S WITH THAT RED HEADED BIMBO NOW, SO WHY?!"

"B-b-because y-you... You h-hurt my f-f-friends a-and-"

"OH, I HURT _THEM_?! I ONLY DID THAT BECAUSE YOU HURT _ME_!" He forcefully shook Ruby back and forth, nearly crushing her arms with his grip. "WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO END THINGS?!"

"W-well, I-I thought that m-my opinion ma-attered t-too..."

"YOU STUPID CHILD!" Mercury slammed Ruby's body against the wall of the building, causing her to yelp as pain shot through her. "IF YOU END THINGS, I'LL HURT YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS MORE! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

Ruby clenched her fists and scrunched up her face. " _NO_! I WON'T LET YOU HURT MY TEAM, OR MY FRIENDS ANY LONGER!" She tried to push Mercury away, but didn't stand a chance against his strength.

"Oh, so you think you're tough now, huh?!" He suddenly let go of her, causing her to stagger slightly as she leaned against the wall. She glared daggers at him and stood up tall.

"I will protect my team and my friends. And I'll do that by breaking things off with you! It's over you _JERK_!" Ruby was about to walk away when Mercury grabbed her shoulder and spun her around, his fist colliding with her face. He watched as Ruby fell to her knees and held her face, crying out in pain.

"What about now you stupid girl? Not so tough anymore, huh?" He smirked down at her as she met his gaze. He expected to see a fearful and broken look, but instead was met with anger and resolve. Before he could react, Ruby disappeared in a blur of red, leaving rose petals in her place. Rage boiled inside of Mercury as he stood there alone. _Just you wait, little gem. I'm not through with you yet._

oOoOoOo

Ruby ran as fast as her semblance would let her, darting through the mostly empty streets of Vale. The wind rushing by whipped at her face and dried the tears that were pouring down her cheeks. She finally stopped in an alley, and leaned against the brick wall. _Why? Why couldn't I fight back? Why won't he just leave me alone? I... I hate him!_ She slid down the wall until she was sitting on the ground and she curled up into a tight ball. No longer able to hold herself back she started to cry. She cried hard and loud, letting everything out. Pain was pulsing through her right eye, and crying only made it worse. She didn't care though. She just wanted to disappear.

After a while of heavy sobbing, she had managed to calm herself a bit. Instead, she silently sat there, letting the tears fall. Until the sound of a can being hit rustled through the small alley. She bolted to her feet and faced the direction that the noise had come from, reaching for her scythe only to realize that it wasn't there. Her body froze as she looked to the other person in the alley, who also seemed to be frozen. The man standing across from her was tensed up, his cane halfway lifted towards her, as if he was taking aim before he stopped. She instantly recognized the white coat and bowler hat. The orange hair covering one eye and the smell of cigars.

 _Roman Torchwick._

* * *

 ** _YAAAAAAAAAAAAY! TORCHWICK IS HERE :D! Sadly, you all have to wait till the next chapter to see his point of view though ^_~!_**

 ** _I know that Mercury is slightly OOC, but his personality is hard for me to nail down... Also, Ozpin's personality can be a little difficult at times, but I've mostly got him down packed. Don't worry though, Roman will be his usual snarky, dorky, sexy self!_**

 ** _On to reviews!_**

 ** _Spencke: Thanks sweet cheeks ^_~! Also, thanks for letting me borrow your books, they're really good! I'll take you to the library again after school._**

 ** _PattyPOP: The Rosewick has arrived! Kinda... They still have to fall for each other! And sorry, you won't know his thoughts till next chapter :3_**

 ** _cinderhasfallen: Geez, I'm glad I was able to change your mind! Thanks for the compliment!_**

 ** _knight7572: NOPE! NEVER HAPPENED! *Nora's voice* EVERYTHING'S FINE... ROMAN. IS FIIIIIIINE... (I NEVER SAW A BODY, IT DIDN'T HAPPEN IF I DIDN'T SEE IT! ;N;!)_**

 ** _MidnightRoyalty: Shoutouts yaaaaaay! :D_**

 ** _Inquisitek: Although that sounds souper interesting, I'm not much of a history person... History is my least favourite subject. I like math and science :3 Sorry :P_**

 ** _Nox Dracul: Oh yes, Mercury doesn't just sound like Roman. I'll let you figure out who on your own though ^_~ Wouldn't want to spoil anything. Let's just say that Mercury is in for a harsh realization._**

 ** _MononokeHime64: I'm glad you like it! Also, thanks for checking out my YouTube Channel. I almost couldn't make that video cause I was laughing too hard!_**

 ** _Guest: I love getting into people's emotions and thoughts and how they feel about things. Psychology is great! Not to mention I tend to be a really emotional person, so I like to write down and go into depth about other people's emotions._**

 ** _Thanks for reading, and I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!_**

 ** _If you haven't already, you should check out my YouTube Channel! My username is Rosewick (surprise, surprise!)_**

 ** _I just uploaded a Rosewick video a few days ago, so I hope you guys like that! There'll be more on the way soon, along with more chapters of this story!_**

 ** _Rosewick out! ^_~_**


	4. Weakness

**_Hey guys, Rosewick here with another chapter! ^_~_**

 ** _I had fun writing this one, as I think interactions between Roman and Ruby would be ADORABLE!_**

 ** _My best friend helped me come up with a few ideas, and she agreed to be my beta reader, so I can't take full credit for this anymore. Her account name is Spencke! Thanks sweet cheeks ^_~!_**

 ** _Alrighty, here's that chapter you've all been waiting for, featuring... ROMAN TORCHWICK! *internally fangirls* (I'd externally fangirl, but I'm kinda in class atm... Lol)_**

 ** _Trigger Warnings: Foul Language (Kids, please don't repeat these words at home... Wait... KIDS?! NO KIDS! THIS IS RATED M! t(T_T t) STAY OUT!)_**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 4 – Weakness_**

Roman took a cigar from the inside pocket of his jacket. He put it between his lips and lit it, continuing the long maze-like walk through town to one of his apartments. He hated having to move from place to place all the time, always keeping to the shadows in the alleyways. He couldn't afford to be caught out in the middle of the street. If it wasn't for Cinder, he could probably manage to get by with a disguise, but that was impossible with all the high profile jobs she's been sending him on.

The oak-vanilla flavor brought him comfort as he strolled down the street, turning one last corner to use the back entrance to his apartment. He froze. _Is this a joke? There's no way..._ Roman took a small, hesitant step forward, then another after that. The cigar fell from his mouth as his eyes widened. _You've gotta be fucking kidding me!_ Sure enough, there was a person sitting on the ground next to the door of his apartment. That person was none other than Red.

She wasn't wearing her signature red cloak and hood, nor was she wearing her usual black and red gothic Lolita dress. Instead, she donned a pretty red dress with no sleeves and black lace. She still wore black leggings, however they were less opaque than her usual ones, and her clunky boots were replaced with black velvet pumps. Upon a closer look, Roman realized that her abnormally sized scythe wasn't present. Joy bubbled up to replace Roman's anger as he realized he could probably end Red right here and now. A sinister grin spread across his face as he slowly started raising his cane, taking another step forward. That grin quickly vanished as his foot hit a stray can, sending it clanking away. _Shit!_

Red jumped up and reached for her weapon before noticing it wasn't there. A low chuckle echoed off the brick walls of the alley as Roman took aim upon the girl. He was about to pull the trigger when his entire body froze. There was something shining on Red's face. A moment longer, he saw that they were tear drops. Crying. Red was crying. Roman slowly lowered his cane and started towards Ruby, who took a hesitant step away.

"S-stay back!" When he ignored her and continued his approach, Ruby readied her fists, "I-I'm warning you!"

Roman reached into his coat pocket as Ruby closed her eyes, waiting for whatever came next. When nothing happened she slowly opened her eyes. Roman was standing in front of her with a handkerchief held out, looking to the side and away from Ruby. Ruby was confused as she looked up at the criminal before her.

"Damnit Red," When she didn't take the hankie, he gently grabbed her face and started wiping the tears away, "I can't fight a girl who's crying."

Tears started flowing down her face again as Roman said that, and he silently cursed.

"C'mon, Red. I just dried up your face and you're crying again."

The girl slowly lowered herself to her knees, burying her face in her hands. She was angry at herself for showing weakness in front of her enemy, but she couldn't help it. Roman rolled his eyes and huffed, crouching down to be on the same level as the girl. He reached into his coat and pulled out another cigar, holding it out to Ruby.

"Look, I wouldn't normally do this, but here, take this."

Ruby looked up from her hands and slightly shook her head when she saw the cigar. "I… I don't smoke…" Her voice was cracked and shaking, barely a whisper.

"Oh please, cigars and cigarettes are completely different. You don't actually inhale these." Upon seeing the confusion on her face, Roman sighed. "Didn't you take classes on this stuff? You're supposed to inhale the smoke from cigarettes, and that's what gives you the high. You're only supposed to taste the cigar, and enjoy the flavour. If you try to inhale the smoke from a cigar, one: it's really hard to do and two: it'll make you sick to your stomach." _Why am I explaining this to a child?_

"I… I still don't want it…" Ruby continued to stare at the ground as Roman put the cigar into his own mouth and lit it. He moved to the wall and sat down leaning against it. When Ruby looked over, he pat the ground next to him. She silently moved to sit next to him and curled up, hugging her knees.

 _Oh what the hell Roman. She's a huntress for dust's sake. Why are you all of a sudden so weak?_ When he looked over, he saw that Ruby was trembling slightly, a few tears somehow still finding their way out of her eyes and down her cheeks. He removed the cigar from between his lips and looked up at the night sky between the buildings. The broken and shattered moon shone brightly above, a few stray clouds floating past, nearly blending into the night.

"Alright Red, what seems to be the problem?"

"Huh?" She looked over at Roman, who was staring up at the sky, admiring the silver moon.

"Why all the tears? Did you get in a fight with kitty cat?"

"Her name is Blake." Ruby snapped. "And no… I… I didn't get into a fight with her." She looked up at the sky as well, her silver eyes reflecting the same colour back at the moon.

"Well, then why are you out here crying? Without a weapon, no less. Don't you know it's dangerous out here? Someone could have easily targeted you."

"Someone like you?"

Roman looked back at Ruby, who was gazing at him with curiosity in her eyes. It was the first time Roman had seen her face up close. She wasn't beautiful, no. She was adorable. She had a sort of childish look to her face, making Roman wonder just how young she really was, and if she was that young, why would she be training to become a warrior? He wasn't sure if it was a trick of the light, but her eyes seemed to shine a bright silver. _They're probably just reflecting the moon._

"Yeah, sure kiddo. Someone like me."

"Speaking of which, why didn't you attack me? We're enemies after all…" Her gaze returned to the dark ground beneath them.

"Because," He took another puff of his cigar, "You were crying. I can't attack a girl who's crying. It just isn't right."

"But you're evil… I don't understand."

"Hey, I might be a criminal, but that doesn't mean I'm _evil_. Believe it or not, I still have a code I try to abide by. And one of them is that I can't attack a girl who is helpless and bawling her eyes out."

"I-I'm not helpless! A-and I wasn't crying that hard! It was… It was just allergies!" Ruby's cheeks held a slight blush, which made her look even cuter.

"Well, you seem pretty helpless without that oversized gardening tool of yours, which I'd assume you'd never leave without unless you wanted a quick getaway." He glanced at the girl from the corner of his eye, taking notice of how she ever so slightly shrank back. "Which leads me to wonder what exactly it was that you were running from in the first place."

"I-it… It was just a small fight… I swear…" Ruby's voice cracked and Roman once more looked over at the young huntress. The clouds that had concealed the moon suddenly passed, revealing the bright silver light once more and illuminating Ruby's face. Roman's eyes widened ever so slightly as he saw the purple bruise that was forming over the girl's right eye. Anger suddenly boiled up inside of him, and it only grew larger as he realized he was upset over someone hurting this _pest_. _Red's always been strong and full of spirit. What the dust is she so scared of now?_

"Hey Red…" She glanced up at him through her deep crimson locks, "Who did this?" His hand slowly came up to caress her face, his thumb ever so softly brushing against her eye.

She winced slightly, "It was… It was my boyfriend."

Anger once again coursed through Roman's body. _How can a man treat his girl like that?_ "And you're still with him? C'mon, Red, you're better than that."

"I tried to break things off tonight, but that only made things worse. He said he's going to hurt my friends!"

"Hurt your friends? Red, for dust's sake, he hurt you!"

"I don't care about me!" Ruby jumped to her feet, startling Roman. "I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me! He can beat me up all he wants, but I don't want him to bring any more harm to my friends!"

"Geez, Red…" _Ever the hero with this one, eh Roman?_ "At some point you'll have to protect yourself too. I mean, look at you. Banged up in an alleyway crying your eyes out. Seriously, if you were worried about your friends, why did you run?"

"What do you mean?"

Roman slowly stood up, taking another puff of his cigar. "I mean, if you aren't so concerned for yourself, then why'd you run? Why are you hiding? You ran away because he hurt _you_." Ruby began to sob again, not really sure what else to do. _Geez. Kids are so troublesome…_ The criminal stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Ruby, holding her in a tight embrace as she cried. She only cried harder at the affection, her hands and face buried in the man's chest. He sighed, staring at the moonlit sky above as he held the girl. _Geez, Roman. This isn't like you at all. When did you get so soft?_

After what seemed like forever, the girl quieted down. Her sobbing wasn't as extreme as before, and she stood there numbly in Roman's arms. He looked down at her and saw the exhaustion written all over her face.

"You good now?"

Ruby nodded and wiped away the last of her tears, wincing as pain shot through her eye. She had forgotten all about the bruise there. "Yeah… I think so."

Roman rolled his eyes. "You _think_ so? Geez, Red…" He bent down and picked the girl up, tossing her over his shoulder.

" _Eek!_ " She blushed heavily as the criminal carried her over to the door on the side of the building, "What are you doing?! Put me down!" She tried to wriggle free, but Roman only tightened his grip around her waist.

"Calm down, would you? We need to take care of that shiner you've got." He opened the door and started walking up the set of stairs inside, all the way to the top floor. Red was a lot lighter than he thought she'd be. Then again, she didn't have that solid metal death machine on her person either. _How does she even carry that thing around anyway?_ After reaching the top of the stairs, he made his way down the hall to the suite on the end. He opened the door and stepped inside, shutting it behind him. "Welcome to my cozy little castle! One of them anyway." He made his way over to a couch in the middle of the room and sat Ruby down onto it as he headed around the corner into the kitchen.

The apartment was very neat and tidy, the walls being black with a white trim. His furniture was very stylish and modern and it must have costed a fortune. Ruby didn't even want to think about where he got the money from to afford any of this. She was just happy to be indoors, and on a comfy couch no less. A moment later Roman waltzed back into the room with an icepack in his hands. He had lost his signature coat and hat, and was instead wearing his black dress pants and shoes with a long sleeved black shirt.

"Here, put this on your face." He tossed the icepack at the huntress who barely caught it.

"Why?" She held it in her hands and looked up at the criminal.

"Uhh… So that your face feels better? Geez, don't ask stupid questions, Red." The snark in his voice was heavy as he rolled his eyes at the girl.

"No, I mean, why are you helping me? I thought we were enemies." She gently pressed the pack against her eye.

"Well, to be perfectly honest, I _did_ nearly kill you."

"But why didn't you?"

"That, little Red, is for me to know, and you to stop questioning." He tilted his head slightly as his lone green eye watched her. "Speaking of questions, why are you all dressed up? I never took you as the fancy-pantsy-dancey kinda girl."

"I-I'm not that kinda girl at all!" She stammered. Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink as she scowled at him. "I-it's just that- well- we uhh- we had a dance tonight!"

"We?"

"My friends and I."

"Wow you have friends? I never took you for the partying type."

"I'm not! And of course I have friends, I'm not like you!"

"You wound me Red! It might be surprising, but I too have friends you know."

"Your mom doesn't count!"

"Oh please," Roman rolled his eyes, "So why'd you go out to this dance, little Red? Especially since you seem so adamant about not wanting to."

"Well, the dance only happens once a year, and my friends would have been angry if I didn't go."

"Once a year?"

"Yeah." She nodded, "My school was hosting a ball tonight for the Vytal Festival."

"Oh please, you want me to believe that some kiddy school hosted a ball? What'd you do, sneak into the older school? That's pretty badass."

"I didn't sneak in! I go to the older school!"

Roman stared at the girl for a moment, his face blank. He then burst out into laughter, bending over and hugging himself from laughing so hard. Ruby's face got redder with both anger and embarrassment. After a few moments Roman finally stood back up, wiping a stray tear from his eye.

"You? You going to a combat school for hunters? I didn't think they accepted kids there!"

"I-I'm fifteen you bully! And I'm not a kid, I'm grown up! I drink _milk_!" The fact that she said that with a serious face only made Roman have another fit of laughter. Ruby scrunched up her face in anger.

"Seriously, Red, are you trying to kill me?"

"I'm serious! I was accepted into Beacon two years early! It's cause I beat you and your group of baddies up!"

"Is that so?" Roman made his way over to the couch and plopped down next to Ruby. "I don't see why. You don't look that special to me. What do they see in you anyway?"

"For your information, they see a lot in me! They even made me leader of a team!"

"Geez, you're not very modest at all. And leader? Are you leader of the playtime crew or what?"

"I'm leader of my team of hunters!"

"Hunters in training." He corrected. "You aren't hunters yet."

"Well, soon we will be. And when we are, we're going to take you down, Torchwick!" A smirk found its way onto the girls face as she stared over at Roman, her eyes full of determination. Looking at her face, Roman realized that her eyes really _were_ silver. _Strange. I've never seen that before._ They mesmerized him, causing him to stare in awe at her gleaming irises. _They're beautiful…_

His lack of response and fixed stare at her face made the girl feel a little uneasy. "I-is there something on my face? Is it the bruise? How bad is it?" She quickly dropped the ice pack and felt around her face for anything unusual.

"Your eyes…" She stopped and looked back up at him, "They're _beautiful_."

Ruby's jaw dropped as her cheeks turned redder than her dress. At this rate, she'd melt the ice pack with the heat of her face. "Wh-wh-wha-what are you t-t-talking a-about?!" Her heart was racing in her chest as Roman leaned closer to get a better look at them.

"I've never seen anyone with silver eyes before."

"I-it's r-r-really rare… M-my mom had them t-too…" She averted her gaze as Roman continued to gaze at her brilliant shimmering eyes.

"Why would anyone want to harm such a beautiful face? It makes me sick to know that a man would do this to you." He furrowed his brow, noticing how red Red's cheeks had become, and smirked ever so slightly. _Maybe she's modest after all._

"I-I don't kn-know… Don't ask such st-stupid questions." She crossed her arms over her chest, still averting her eyes.

"Tell me, Red, what was his name?"

"Wh-why should I tell you?"

"Can a man not be curious?" She glared at him for a moment before looking away once more.

"M-Mercury… His name is Mercury."

The smirk on Roman's face disappeared instantly as his eyes became dark and cold. _Mercury._ He knew someone by that name. An image of Mercury in a warehouse along with Emerald and Cinder popped into his head, and it took everything in him to not throw something in rage. _That son of a BITCH!_ Why was Roman so upset over this? He shouldn't care about Red, much less Mercury. The lack of response made Ruby look up, and Roman quickly changed his expression to a more subtle one.

"Mercury, huh? Yeah, that name sounds like it'd belong to a douche." He rolled his eyes, trying to play off his hatred towards the little smart-ass.

A small smile crept onto Ruby's face. "Oh really? So you can tell personalities by names, huh?"

"But of course! That's my specialty, Red!" He leaned back into the couch and winked at her, a grin evident on his features. "Didn't you know that people match their names?"

"Yeah right!"

"For example, you're Red, and you wear red!"

"My name isn't Red!"

"Too bad, it is now!"

"Heeeeyyyy! Meanie! My name's Ruby! Ruby Rose!" The small scowl on her face only made the girl more adorable as she tried to look angry.

"Ruby, huh?" He put his hand to his chin and looked up at the ceiling, mocking a pondering face. "Nope. Doesn't suit you one bit. You're still Red."

"Uuggghhhh!" She crossed her arms and leaned back into the couch, "What if I called you _Orange_?"

"Oh c'mon, Red. Does Orange sound like a name for a bad-ass criminal such as _moi_?" He made a face and posed as if acting like a person of royalty.

"Heh, it does now!" She laughed, and the sound of it rang through Roman's ears. _She has such a cute laugh…_ He wanted to hear more of it, and he wanted to always see her smile. She had the cutest little smile on her face, making everything about her even more adorable.

"Hey! That's not very fair, Red! You can't steal my stuff!"

"Whatever you say, _Orange_." They both laughed again, forgetting all about the horrible things that had transpired that night. After a while, Ruby yawned rather loudly, causing Roman to smile.

"Is it past your bedtime?"

"What! I don't have a bedtime! I can go to sleep whe-*Yawn*-whenever I want…" She rubbed her eyes, her aura already working on healing her bruise. Red was obviously exhausted, but was too stubborn to admit it. Roman found that amusing, then checked his watch to see what time it was.

 _12:00_

Midnight.

 _She should probably be getting back to her school now…_ Roman thought about sending her off before another image of Mercury flashed in his mind. That stupid smirk on his stupid face. He couldn't stand Mercury. Roman looked towards Red, who was starting to nod off to sleep. _I can't send her back. Who knows what Mercury will do? Will he be waiting for her? How can I make sure she's safe?_ The memory of Ruby standing in the alley crying while his arms were wrapped around her came back up in his head. He felt angry and annoyed, but most of all, he felt worried. Since when did he worry? He didn't care about anyone, that got you nowhere in life. So why was he suddenly panicking at the thought of someone hurting Red? _What the hell, Roman. This isn't like you! Don't let this stupid girl get to your head._ He instantly regretting thinking negatively about her. Everything about her was perfect. _Wait, what?_ _Perfect?_ Roman looked once more at the small girl curled up on his couch. He had made up his mind.

Roman stood up and picked up the girl bridal style, causing her to freak out. "Alrighty, Red! Up you go!"

"Wait! Wh-what are you doing?!" She didn't fight back, instead her cheeks flaring a bright red.

"I'm taking you to bed silly."

He thought it was impossible, but her face got even redder, "Wh-wh-wha-wha-what d-d-do you m-mean?!"

"I mean exactly what I said. I'm taking you to bed." He looked down and winked at her, finding it funny that she was taking this the wrong way. He made his way down the small hallway and opened a door to the right. Inside was a room with deep crimson walls and black furniture. The bed was a king sized one with big luxurious linens and pillows. There was a nightstand on either side of the bed, one supporting a square lamp. On the opposite side of the room from the bed was a dresser, made of the same black wood as the rest of the bedroom set, and a mirror that stretched up to the ceiling. There was a closet on the left side of the room, and a small door that lead to what Ruby assumed was a bathroom on the other.

Roman carried Ruby over to the bed and gently lay her on it. Afterwards he went to the dresser and started roaming through the drawers, pulling out shirts of various sizes. He finally settled on a large black t-shirt that was extra-long.

"Here, try this on." He threw the t-shirt at the girl and it smacked her in the face.

"Mmph!" The impact made her flop backwards onto the bed. She sat up and looked at the shirt, then looking up at Roman with a face as red as her dress.

"What are you waiting for, put it on." He raised an eyebrow at the huntress, not really sure what her problem was. "Do you not like it?"

"I-I can't ch-change while you're w-watching!" Roman could almost see the steam coming from her face as she scowled at him.

"Why not?" He shrugged, finding the whole situation amusing.

"B-because you're a b-boy and I-I'm a girl!"

"Oh please, Red. It's not like you have to get nude. Unless you're not wearing undergarments?" Roman's cheeks flared up a little as his imagination ran wild.

"P-pervert! Get out!"

"Alright, alright, I'm leaving." He held his hands up in surrender as he exit the room.

Ruby got up and locked the door before slipping off her dress and replacing it with the shirt. She removed her pumps and slipped off her leggings, folding everything neatly and placing it on top of the dresser. Although it was a long shirt, it still only came down to her mid-thigh. She slowly walked over and unlocked the door.

"O-okay, you can come in now…"

Roman peeked his head into the doorway. "Ah, damnit, the shirt isn't short enough." He looked at Ruby, making a slightly disappointed face.

"Wh-wh-what?! You said this was the longest shirt!" Ruby grabbed the bottom of the shirt and held it down, trying desperately to cover up as much of her legs as she could. A small laugh echoed through the room as Roman watched her.

"I'm just kidding, geez Red. You really are modest after all, huh?"

"Shut up! Don't tease me!"

"Okay, okay, sorry. Is there anything else that you need?"

"Uh… No. I think I'm okay." She looked around the room, thinking. "Where are you going to sleep?"

"Right next to you." Roman winked at the girl as her face turned as bright as strawberries.

"I-I- But- Y-you- You c-can't!"

"Only joking, Red." He laughed once more. "There's bottled water in the fridge if you get thirsty, and the bathroom is over there. Get some rest, kiddo." Roman turned to walk out of the door before feeling a small tug on his sleeve. When he looked back, Ruby was looking at the floor, her hair concealing her face.

"U-um… Th-thank you, Torchwick." She looked up at him with those big silver eyes and his heart melted.

"Sure thing, Red." He turned and left the room, slowly shutting the door behind him. Ruby was once again alone.

She turned off the lights and slowly wandered over to the bed. _Roman Torchwick._ She was in the bed of Roman Torchwick, her enemy. But was he really her enemy? _My boyfriend hurt me, but my enemy helped me…_ Ruby was beyond confused, but she was too tired to ponder over it. She'd wait until morning, when she got her rest, to really think things over. For now, she needed sleep so she could let her aura heal her eye. She slowly closed her eyes as her mind drifted into sleep.

oOoOoOo

After Roman shut the door, he stood there for a moment. _What are you doing, Roman? You're keeping a small girl, a_ huntress _for crying out loud, in your apartment. And she's in your room sleeping!_ Roman was confused. Why did Red make him feel this way? He shouldn't care about her, or be concerned for her. But he was. Those big, beautiful silver eyes. Her round little face framed by her deep red locks. A smile that could warm you even more than that blonde's semblance. How had he not noticed her before? He must have been either blind, or stupid.

 _C'mon fella._ Roman plopped down on the couch and put one arm over his face. _She's not your type. Plus she's six years younger than you!_ He knew that age played a big role, but people with large age gaps dated all the time. Love is love, and whether it be a boy, girl, older, or younger, if you loved each other, none of that mattered. _But she's a huntress, and you're a criminal._ Roman sighed. He knew what she was, and he knew where he stood compared to her. Yes, his line of work wasn't exactly the most noble, but in a way, he was being forced to do it. It's not like he has anything to gain by working with Cinder, it's just that he can't afford to lose, and everyone knows what happens when you disobey Cinder. Just look at Neo.

 _Neo._ She lost her voice after she had disobeyed Cinder for the first time. Her punishment was so severe, Cinder causing her so much pain, that she literally screamed until she couldn't anymore. Of course, she can still speak, it's just rather painful for her to do so. Roman couldn't stand it. Cinder knew that Neo was a weak spot for him, and she used that to her advantage. He couldn't back out. If he did, Neo would pay the price for it. He didn't want to hurt his baby sister anymore. But now… Now he has a new weakness. One that he never thought possible until tonight. _Red._

* * *

 ** _Isn't Ruby just the cutest little munchkin? ^U^!  
_**

 ** _Also, hot damn, I'm having to contain myself from writing a full on sexy-ass Roman. Maybe I'll do that later on in the story... *wink wink*_**

 ** _Response time! YAAAAAY!_**

 ** _Knight7572: It was always highly unlikely that Rosewick would become canon. It's a crack ship, and a trash ship. Doesn't mean we can't love it though ^_~!_**

 ** _PattyPOP: OMG, that's great xD! I was basically bouncing up and down in my seat in class when I brought Roman in. Everyone just kinda gave me that one "wtf" face._**

 ** _MidnightRoyalty: Ruby's such a cutey! And yes, she does have quite the strong spirit. Also, careful what you say :P I thought about having something like that, but I feel so weird writing it D: I'm okay reading it, but writing it's rather difficult. I also like to research how people feel in certain situations so that I can relate that to my story and how the characters feel. I'm pretty sure my dad would flip out if I started researching about that though O3o (P.S. I love PattyPOP's reactions too! They're the best xD!)_**

 ** _Nox Dracul: Yeah Mercury, you ass. Stahp it. And yeah, Torchwick didn't see this one coming at all. Then again, neither did Ruby ^_~! Also, I'm glad you enjoyed the video :P I was laughing the entire time I was making it!_**

 ** _If you guys haven't already checked it out, my YouTube channel, Rosewick, has a few funny videos on it, as well as some AMV's. I'm working on more (especially Rosewick... Heh) along with this story that I'll post in the future._**

 ** _Thanks for reading my story, and I hope you've enjoyed it so far (not sure why you'd still read it if you didn't, but whatever floats your boat)! I'll probably post a new chapter every Friday, but no guarantees!_**

 ** _Rosewick out! ^_~_**


	5. Disappearance

**_Hello, hello my fellow trash shippers ^_~!_**

 ** _Here's that chapter you've been waiting for! Once again, sorry for not posting it sooner!_**

 ** _I hope you guys enjoy the cliff hanger :3 Cause you'll have to deal with it until next Friday!_**

 ** _(I know, I'm evil ^_~!)_**

 ** _Trigger Warnings: Swearing and slightly Yangry Yang_**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 5 - Disappearance_**

Ruby sat up in bed, yawning rather unlady-like. She slowly got out from under the sheets and felt around the bed post to find her cape. When she didn't feel it, she groaned and started stumbling her way through the apartment like a zombie till she got to the kitchen.

"Weissssssss..."

Roman nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the not-so-human-like voice. He stopped pouring his coffee and turned around to see Ruby slouching in the doorway, rubbing her eyes lazily.

"Weiss, where's my caaaappppeeee...? It wasn't on the bed pooosstt..."

"Oh? Where'd you leave it last?"

"I put it on the bedpooooooooossttt..."

Roman held back the urge to laugh at the girl before him.

"Can't help you there, Red. Now, how do you take your coffee?"

"I already told yoooouuuuu... Cream and five sugars..."

Roman turned back around and started making a cup of coffee for Ruby. "So, Re- I mean, Ruby. What are you deepest darkest secrets?"

"What?"

"Well, everyone has secrets... What are yours?"

"I don't have any..."

"Oh?" He leaned in close to Ruby, inches away from her face, "Tell me, do you have a crush on anyone?"

Ruby slowly rubbed her eyes again, still not awake enough to realize that this wasn't Weiss.

"I mean... Jaune's kinda nice..." She shrugged, "And you already know that I'm dating Mercury..."

"What about... Hmmm..." He brought his hand up to his chin as if pondering, "How about Torchwick?"

"Torchwick?!" Ruby's eyes flew open and a blush spread across her face as she saw how close Roman was. "Wh-wh-wha-what are you d-doing?!" Her eyes darted around the room as she realized this wasn't her dorm in Beacon. There was a small flash of red as she bolted out of the kitchen, leaving rosepetals in her wake.

She shut the bathroom door behind her and locked it, her face bright red. Ruby took deep breaths, analyzing her situation. _I... I stayed the night at_ Torchwick's _place?! Oh no! What's Yang gonna do? What's my team gonna do?!_ Ruby slowly slid down the door till she was sitting on the floor. _Oh man... This is bad... This is really bad!_ She nearly yelped as the knock on the door startled her.

"Hey Red? Your coffee's ready."

"O-okay...!"

"Oh, and I washed your dress. It's nearly done drying."

"Th-thank you!" She heard his footsteps as he walked away and she slowly stood up. Ruby turned on the cold water from the sink and splashed herself in the face. When she looked up in the mirror she noticed that her bruise was gone. _Mercury!_ Ruby's face turned to one of horror as she remembered what Mercury had done. _What if he hurt my friends?!_ The bathroom door flew open and Roman looked up from his cup of coffee.

" _Geez_ , what did that door ever do to you?" He smirked, but it quickly vanished as he saw the look on Ruby's face. "Red?"

"Thank you for everything, Torchwick. But I have to leave now." She ran into his bedroom and grabbed her dress, replacing Roman's shirt with it on her body and grabbing her heels. When she came back out of the room Roman was standing there.

"Something wrong?"

"Yes, I shouldn't be here! My team is probably tearing up Vale looking for me. I need to get back there now." She pushed past him and made her way to the door.

"What's the rush, Red?" Roman quickly crossed the room and stood in front of the apartment door. "You need to eat something, I'm not gonna send you out there hungry."

"I don't have time to eat!"

"Red, you need to make the time."

"Get out of the way! _I need to make sure my friends are okay!_ " Tears threatened to spill over as she shut her eyes.

Roman finally understood. Ruby wanted to make sure that Mercury didn't hurt anyone. "Red... Get some food, then I'll take you back to Beacon."

She looked up at Roman, who's face held concern. "What?"

He grabbed her shoulders and spun her around, leading her to the kitchen. "Your coffee's on the counter. There's donuts in the pantry. I'm gonna go change. Eat up." Roman left the room before she could protest.

Ruby sighed, opening the pantry door and grabbing the box of donuts, taking a seat at the small table in the kitchen. She ate about three of them, drinking all of her coffee, before Roman finally came back out of his room.

"Ready to go?" He was wearing a button up red shirt, the sleeves rolled up to just above his elbows, and a black vest. His black pants weren't as classy as his other ones, and his dress shoes had been switched out for a pair of black sneakers. His bright orange hair was now a deep red, as if mixing the hair colours of Ruby and Pyrrha, and he tucked his long bangs behind his ear, uncovering his other eye. He replaced his signature bowler hat with a pair of red shades. The whole outfit made him look younger, and Ruby had to admit... He looked good in red.

A giggle erupted from the girl and Roman frowned.

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing! It's just that I've never seen you in anything but your usual coat and hat. It just looks funny. And did you dye your _hair_?"

"It's just a temporary dye, it'll come out after maybe three washes."

Ruby laughed again, and Roman smiled, enjoying the sound of it and the smile on her face. "Alright, alright. C'mon, Red. Let's get going."

Ruby jumped up and headed for the door, Roman opening it for her.

"By the way, refer to me as Igneel while we're out and about."

"Igneel?"

"Yup. Kinda like ignite, or ignis. Get it? Cause of my firey hair?" He smirked as Ruby face palmed.

"Please no."

"Oh, c'mon Red. Don't get all hot and bothered over my jokes."

"Stooooooopppp!" Ruby put both her hands to her face as Roman laughed. "I get enough of that from Yang! I don't need it from you too!"

"Alright, I'll stop." He chuckled as he locked the door to his apartment. "Now, let's get you back to school, Red."

"Sure thing, _Igneel_."

oOoOoOo

The door to RWBY's room burst open and Ruby happily walked inside, "What is good in the hood?!" She threw her hands in the air and smiled cheerfully, expecting excitement. But she was met with silence. After a moment, she opened one of her eyes. Her entire team was just staring at her, their mouths dropped open.

Yang was the first one to recover, " _RUBY_!" She bolted over and embraced her sister, hugging her so tightly that she thought her ribs would break.

"Ack! S... Is!... Can't-... Breathe!"

"Oh!" Yang put Ruby down and waited a moment for her to get her breath back before continuing, "Where have you been? Are you okay? What happ-..." Roman ducked into the room behind Ruby and observed the haphazard mess. "-ened..." Yang looked from Roman to Ruby several times, confusion written on her face.

"Uhh... Sis, team," Ruby gestured to her team, then to Roman. "This is my friend, Igneel. He helped me last night."

Roman nodded and did a small salute to the girls in the room, still wondering how the bunkbeds haven't killed anyone yet.

An awkward silence filled the room as everyone stared at Roman, Ruby noticed that Blake's face was the only one showing a different emotion. She was squinting at Roman, a deep frown marring her features. She knew.

Roman decided to have a little fun with Red and her team, so he slowly leaned forward and nudged Ruby, "Well, darling little Red. Are you going to tell them how we met?" He smirked as Ruby's face turned a bright shade of pink.

"O-o-oh y-yeah." She looked around at her teammates, "W-well... I-I needed some fresh air... And so I left the dance to take a walk. B-but a group of thugs t-tried to hurt me... They kinda broke my scroll, so I wasn't able to get a hold of Crecent Rose." She slowly took her scroll out of her dress pocket, a few pieces of shattered glass falling to the floor. "While they were trying to drag me away, Igneel found me. H-he saved my life." Ruby blushed as she remembered how Roman embraced her last night. She could never tell her team the truth though. Her and Roman spent the entire walk back to Beacon coming up with a story to explain her absence. They even went so far as to smash her scroll on the ground and break it, just so it was believable.

Yang wrapped her arms around her little sister once more, only this time it was a gentle embrace. "I'm so glad that you're okay..." Her voice seemed to be on the verge of breaking, which was rare. Yang almost never got emotional.

"Honestly Ruby..." Weiss put her fingers to her temple, "Next time, tell someone before you go out, or at least bring a buddy with you..."

"Y-yeah. I'll make sure to do that."

Yang pulled back then looked up at Roman. "Thank you for saving my little sister."

Roman nodded and ruffled Ruby's hair. "Anything for this little one."

Ruby turned around, her face flushed, "I-I'm not little!"

A small grin found it's way onto Roman's face, "Well, technically you are. Shorty."

"Heeeeeeeyyyy! Don't be mean!"

The team continued to stare as Roman and Ruby had their small argument. Yang's eyes slowly narrowed as she watched the two interact. Weiss and Blake exchanged a look as they noticed it too. There was something different in the way that the two acted with each other.

"I'm not being mean. I'm just stating the facts here, Red." Roman shrugged and smiled playfully at the small huntress.

"W-well, I'm not done growing yet! I-I'll get taller!"

"You'll still be shorter than me though."

"Y-you don't know that!" Ruby scrunched up her face in slight annoyance.

"Awwwhhhhh! You look even smaller and cuter when you're angry!" Roman laughed as Ruby hid her bright red face with her hands.

"Sh-shut uuupppp!"

Yang finally stepped forward, interrupting their little moment. "Hey, Igneel. Let's talk for a moment, kay?" She grabbed his arm and led him out of the room before he could protest. Ruby watched in confusion as Roman was dragged out of the room. When the door closed she turned back to face Weiss and Blake.

Blake's face still had an angry look to it, but Weiss was simply smiling. "Ruby, come take a seat." She pat the spot on the bed next to her, and Ruby did as she was told.

"What is it?"

"What are your thoughts on this Igneel guy?"

"I mean, he's pretty cool. Funny too. Oh! And he's really nice!"

"Mmhmmmmm..." Weiss leaned in closer to Ruby, "Are you sure there's nothing else?"

"What do you mean?" Ruby leaned away slightly.

"Well, you two seemed pretty close, especially for someone you just met last night..."

"He saved my life, why wouldn't we be close?"

Weiss slowly face palmed. _She's so naive..._ "Ruby, must I be blunt with you?"

"What?"

"Do you like Igneel?"

Ruby nodded her head, "Yeah, I like him a lot. Why?"

Blake's eyes widened, "Well, that was very straightforward."

"Well, I'm not gonna deny it. He's a really good friend."

Both Weiss and Blake let out sighs. They should have known she meant it like that.

"Ruby, I meant _romantically_..."

"Roma-... WAIT, WHAT?!" Ruby's face turned as bright as her dress as she stared at Weiss. "Wh-wh-why would you a-ask that?!"

"Just curious." Weiss shrugged, "Besides, Yang's out there giving him the whole daddy speech."

"Daddy speech?"

"You know. The whole 'if you touch my daughter, you're dead' speech."

"Wait, really?!" Ruby shot up and ran to the door, flinging it open. Roman was standing there, his face void of colour while Yang stood next to him smiling.

"Hey Rubes! I just finished talking to Igneel here. You two can go have fun now." She winked, then entered the dorm once more.

"O-okay?" Ruby looked up at Roman, who still had the same stiff posture and expression. "U-um... I'm gonna change, then I'll be right back out..."

He ever so slightly nodded as Ruby closed the door. When it opened again, she was in a new outfit that Roman hadn't seen before. She still wore her signature cape, only this time she had a red scarf wrapped around her neck with it. She had on a white long sleeved shirt with black straps at the end of the sleeves, and a black corset with red laces over that. Her skirt was red and had a large black rose design on the side. She was still wearing her usual black stockings and clunky boots. Overall, the outfit made her look cute. Roman hated to admit it, but she looked so adorable.

"Alright, let's go." She smiled up at Roman, who eased up slightly. They both headed towards the elevator and stepped inside.

oOoOoOo

The streets of Vale were semi-filled with people buzzing about, a few cars driving past here and there. Ruby and Roman were walking side by side down the street, making their way to a small corner bakery. Of course, Roman had never even heard of the place before, but Ruby swore by their cookies.

"So, what did you and Yang talk about?"

"That, little Red, is a question that is never to be asked again." Roman cringed slightly at the memory of Yang grabbing his wang and threatening him if he ever laid a hand on Ruby. " _Ever_. Again."

Ruby held a confused look, but shrugged and continued her happy little walk down the street. "So, what's your favourite type of cookie?"

"That's quite the odd question there, Red."

"Wh- It's not odd! We're going to a place where you buy cookies!"

Roman shrugged, "Good point. If you must know, I don't have a preference. I don't care much for sweets."

Ruby stopped in her tracks, her jaw nearly falling to the ground as she gaped at the man before her. Roman turned around and raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"You don't like sweets?! You really _are_ evil!"

"Oh? Would I also be evil if I said I cut the crust off of my sandwiches?"

"You monster!"

A laugh erupted from Roman as Ruby continued to stop down the sidewalk. "Oh, come now, Red. Everyone is intitled to their own opinions, yes?"

"Yeah, but you have really bad ones."

"You wound me, Red." He faked a pained expression before something caught his eye. Ruby scoffed and kept going as Roman looked to the next street over. Sure enough, a flash of pink and brown was waving him over. He rolled his eyes, noticing Ruby had stopped at a small shop two doors down. As he approached Ruby, her ruffled her hair. "I've got something I need to do really quick, why don't you place the orders and I'll be back to pay?"

Ruby squinted her eyes at him, a bit skeptical. "You better not go and do something illegal."

"Honestly, Red, I'm not always breaking the law." He turned to walk away, but Ruby grabbed his sleeve.

"What kind of cookie do you want?"

Roman thought for a moment before smiling at the girl, "Surprise me." She nodded and watched as he crossed the street.

She couldn't help but feel a small ping of loneliness, trying to pull her after him. _He's not as bad as everyone thinks he is, is he?_ She shook her head, clearing the thought from her mind as she turned around.

" _Eep!_ " She had smacked into something really hard, and nearly fell back from the force. "S-sorry!" Ruby rubbed her head and looked up, only for everything to go black as she did so, her consciousness leaving her as pain shot through her head.

oOoOoOo

Roman angrily strode to the alley way in which Neo had beckoned to him from. After walking in a short ways, the tiny girl appeared in front of him. She had her arms crossed over her chest and a slightly disappointed look on her face. Roman groaned, knowing he was about to get scolded.

"Awhhh... What did I do _this_ time?"

 _"You haven't been answering your scroll you moron!"_ The small girl signed as fast as she could, _"Cinder has been climbing up the freaking wall. She's about ready to kill you."_

"Ugh, what does she want now?" Annoyance was starting to take hold in Roman as he wasted his precious time here.

 _"She wants to know why you didn't show up to work this morning."_

"Uhh, sick?" Roman faked a cough as Neo face palmed.

 _"I swear, one of these days your gonna have to grow up."_

"Tell you what," Roman pulled some lien from his pocket and handed it to Neo. "Go get some ice cream, and make up a nice excuse for me, okay? I've really got to get going."

A small smile crept up on the girl's face, and not the pleasant or cute kind. It was the creepy kind, like when someone just figured something out.

"Neo, stop it. You know I hate that look. It creeps me out." The small girl only leaned forward, her smug little expression intensifying. "What?!" Roman averted his gaze, crossing his arms over his chest.

Neo waved her hands to get his attention back on her, then signed, _"Does my big brother have a crush on someone?"_ Her eyes switched from both brown, to both pink, emphasizing the meaning behind crush.

"I'm not talking about this." Roman turned to leave, but Neo skitted in front of him.

 _"Is she cute? What's her name? What's she look like? How long have you guys been dating? Are you gonna get married and have kids?!"_

"Neo, what the fuck?!" Roman blushed slightly.

Neo gasped excitedly and put her hands to her cheeks. _"You really do have a crush! When can I meet her? When? When? When?!"_

"You don't." Roman gave Neo a stern look, causing the tiny girl to pout.

 _"Why not?! No fair..."_

"Look, I don't have a girlfriend. I'm just helping someone out. Now will you _please_ leave me alone?"

 _"Fine... But you better tell me everything later!"_

"Only if you make up a good excuse for Cinder."

 _"Deal!"_ Neo smiled happily and disappeared from sight.

Roman sighed and put his fingers to his temple. "I swear, that girl is way too hyperactive..." He made his way out of the alley and back towards the bakery. After walking inside, he scanned the small store for his small red huntress. She was nowhere to be seen. He let out a small groan and walked up to the counter. "Um, excuse me?"

An old man with gray hair, the top of his head balding, turned around. His eyes were squinty making Roman wonder how he could even see. Suddenly, Roman realized who this man was. _Of all the fucking people..._ It was the same man that ran the shop that he first met Red in.

"Uh, hi. Has a girl with a red cloak come in here at all?"

The old man thought for a moment before shaking his head. Anxiety started to creep it's way into Roman.

"Are you sure? She has dark hair, and silver eyes." The man shook his head again causing Roman to start panicking inside. He quickly bolted out of the shop and looked around the streets for anything red. He ran up to a few random people, asking them if they'd seen Ruby, but none of them had. " _Shit_!" Roman ran down the street, his hands cupped over his mouth as he called out for Ruby. The huntress was nowhere to be found.

oOoOoOo

Ruby groaned slightly as she came to, pain splitting through her head. She reached a hand up and sure enough, there was a small bump on her head. "Oww..." She looked up and started examining her surroundings. She was in a small room, the walls made of concrete, and took note that it had no windows. A dim light illuminated the small room, along with a small lamp in the corner. There was a TV in front of her, and she realized that she was sitting on a couch. A double bed was located to her right, one flimsy nightstand on the left side, and to her left was a door.

She slowly got up and made her way to the door, trying not to fall over from her dizziness. When she approached it, she tried the knob. _Locked_. Panic took over her confusion as she tried harder to open the door.

"Finally awake, are we?"

Ruby froze. She knew that voice. Her body started to tremble as her blood ran cold. She could hear footsteps echo off the walls as the person crossed the room. A shadow loomed over her and she dared not turn around.

"It's about time, _Little Gem_."

* * *

 _ **OuO**_

 ** _*Smirks the smirk of smirky smirks* (That word sounds really funny now... Smiiiiirrrrkkkk... Huh.)_**

 ** _I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!_**

 ** _Tbh, the first half of the chapter, I was just kinda sitting there like "Wtf am I doing?" and so I just wrote a bunch of nonsense, but then halfway through (and after a few more cups of coffee) I started getting those ideas that people have OuO!_**

 ** _Aaaaaaanywho, review time!_**

 ** _MidnightRoyalty: The team has reacted... Kinda... Don't worry, the reactions will get soooooooooo much better._**

 _ **Nox Dracul: That awkward moment when Roman's only friend actually IS his mom... Jk ^_~! He's got a few buddies**_

 ** _silentman97: Thanks! That means a lot to me! ^^_**

 ** _Jauney boy: Hue, I'm trying to make this story as realistic as I can, and I don't think I'd cuddle with a mass murderer/criminal just because he hugged me once ^^'... (Unless he's hot... Like Roman... So yes, I actually would probably)_**

 ** _PattyPOP: You're so freaking cute! I don't even know you, but your reactions are the best :P!_**

 ** _MononokeHime64: YAAAAAAAAAAASSS! ROMAN IS HERE! *Fangirling intensifies*_**

 ** _StariChanx: It's okay, I love you too ^_~! Rosewick is bae though! And don't worry, Mercury will get what's coming to him. I even have a different ship figured out for him, but I'll keep you all guessing as to who it is *Evil chuckle*_**

 ** _D C JoKeR H S: Well, a little more than vengeance, but a little less than murder, y'know?_**

 ** _seireidoragon: Soon... Soooooooooooooon... You will soon see how the story progresses!_**

 ** _Also, due to the amount of people commenting, and me not wanting to have five pages of A/N at the end, I'll only be responding to a few comments at the end of each chapter from now on!_**

 ** _Thank's for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!_**

 ** _Rosewick out ^_~!_**


	6. A Friend In Need

_**Hello my little Munchkins! (Yes, that's what I'm going to call you all now!)**_

 _ **Sorry for not posting this sooner, I've had a lot going on...**_

 _ **...That was a lie, I'm just a huge procrastinator ._.**_

 _ **But in reality, school's been pretty busy, and I ran out of sleeping meds about two weeks ago and I haven't had a decent night of sleep since then. (Yaaaay~ for insomnia!)**_

 _ **This chapter is kinda short, but regardless, I hope you all enjoy it!**_

 _ **Trigger Warnings: Slightly rapey content.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 6 - A Friend In Need**

Roman ran down the streets of Vale, his scroll in hand, as he made his way towards his apartment. He quickly dialed a number into the scroll and put it up to his ear as he ran. The call rang once... Then twice... Then- _Click!_

"Hello?" A high pitched female voice came through the scroll and sent a wave of relief through Roman. "Who's this?"

"It's your friend, Roman. I need your help."

"Sure thing! I had a feeling you'd call. I'll be at your apartment soon!" The line went dead as the woman on the other end hung up. Roman pocketed his scroll and kept running. He had to get Melodic Cudgel.

 _I'm coming for you Red!_

oOoOoOo

Ruby slowly turned her head and looked up at Mercury. He glared down at her, his eyes showing too many emotions to read.

"Mercury... What's going on? Where... Where are we?"

"Well, Little Gem... That's part of the surprise. It's a secret." Mercury slowly reached forward and grabbed Ruby's chin, tilting her head up to look at him. He looked over her whole body, from her shoes to the tips of her hair. "Cute outfit... What's the occasion?"

"I-I was just o-out with a... A friend..."

"Oh? Tell me, was it that man?" Mercury's voice remained calm, his expression neutral.

Ruby bit her lip and cast her eyes away, "Wh-what man?"

Mercury gripped her jaw tighter, a whimper escaping the girl, "Don't play stupid with me. The man you were out with, who was he?"

"H-he's just a f-friend! His name i-is Igneel...!"

"Igneel, huh? Did you finally get tired of Jaune?"

"I told you, it wasn't like that! Jaune's just a friend!"

"And what am I, Little Gem?"

"I-... I don't understand what you're asking..."

Mercury leaned down slightly, making it so that his face was inches apart from hers. "Just what am I to you?"

"Y-you... You're a-a... A friend t-" Pain shot through the young girl's face as Mercury's hand made contact with it.

"Sorry, wrong answer." He grabbed her jaw again and forced her to look at him once more. "Same question."

"Why are you doing this?" Ruby's entire body was shaking with both anger and fear. "Why won't you just leave me and my friends alone?!"

Mercury leaned even closer and Ruby cast her gaze to the floor. "Because, Ruby. I'm not through with you just yet." He once more forced her gaze upon him, "I told you already... You're mine, and only mine."

"Wh-" Ruby was silenced due to Mercury's lips crashing into her own. Her eyes widened as she brought her hands up to push against his chest. He leaned his weight against her, pinning the young huntress to the door as she desperately tried to push away. After the shock had worn off slightly, Ruby remembered what Yang had taught her. She quickly brought her knee up, putting as much force as she could into it. Mercury's hand shot down and blocked her leg before it hit his sensitive area.

He chuckled and shook his head slightly. "Going for cheap shots now, are we?" He grabbed her arm and yanked her along with him as he crossed the room, finally throwing her onto the bed forcefully. Ruby struggled as Mercury climbed on top of her, grabbing her wrists and pinning them above her head with one hand.

"P-please! Stop this!" Her voice was shaking, which caused Mercury to smirk. "J-just let me go a-and I won't tell anyone a-about this! I-I swear!"

"You have the cutest begging face, you know that?" Using his other hand, Mercury gripped the edge of Ruby's shirt and ripped it leaving her bright red bra exposed.

"M-Mercury! P-p-please!" Tears started dripping from the corners of the girl's eyes as she pleaded.

"As much as I love the sound of your voice... I'm afraid I'll need you to be quiet." His lips crashed against hers once more as his hand came up to her chest. He hooked his finger around the center of her bra and pulled until it snapped apart, leaving her budding chest exposed. Tear drops rolled onto the sheets of the bed as the young huntress struggled to break free. She gasped slightly when Mercury's hand cupped her breast, her cheeks suddenly burning with embarrassment.

She wasn't ready for this. Especially not with Mercury. Why was this happening to her? _What did I do to deserve this?!_ Silent sobs escaped the girl as Mercury's hand played with her breasts, his kisses becoming rougher and more passionate.

A loud _crash_ echoed through the room and Mercury was suddenly pulled off of Ruby. Angry screams could be heard bouncing off of the walls. Ruby quickly sat up, her eyes widening as the scene unfolded before her.

Mercury was pinned to the floor, a man in a white coat on top of him and punching him in the face repeatedly. _Torchwick!_ Both relief and horror took over inside of Ruby as she watched Roman mercilessly beat Mercury into the floor. A loud pop could be heard as Roman's fist once more collided with the boys face, blood spurting out of the young man's nose. Roman didn't stop there though as he continued his attack. Fear shot through Ruby as she realized that Torchwick probably wouldn't stop until Mercury was dead. She quickly jumped up and off the bed, running over and falling to her knee's, hugging Roman from behind.

"Please, stop it! You're gonna kill him!"

Roman paused, his bloody fist in the air, as the girl embraced him. He turned his head to see the mop of crimson hair behind him. Once he stopped, Ruby pulled away. They locked eyes for a moment before Roman cast his gaze to the floor, a slight pinkish tint on his cheeks. He quickly unbuttoned his coat and slid it off, turning and wrapping it around the young huntress before him. After buttoning up the coat and making sure she was properly covered, Roman lunged forward and wrapped his arms tightly around Ruby.

"Thank goodness, you're okay."

Tears once more began to form in Ruby's eyes at the affection. She was confused, but mostly relieved. The young girl hugged Roman back, sobbing into his chest as they both sat on the floor. After a few moments, Ruby finally calmed down. There was a soft _knock-knock_ on the door, and the two of them turned to see a woman with pink hair in the doorway.

"Sorry to interrupt, but you forgot this." She threw Melodic Cudgel towards Roman, who caught it with one hand and set it on the ground next to him. "I'll be taking my leave now. If you need me, you know where to reach me at." The woman winked at the two of them before turning and leaving the room.

"Who was that?" Ruby looked up at Roman.

"A friend. She helped me find you." Roman stood up and held out his hand, helping Ruby up too. "Are you hurt?"

"N-no... I'm fine."

"Ruby..." Ruby looked up in surprise. It was the first time he had used her real name. Joy bubbled up inside of the huntress at the realization. She liked the way it sounded coming from him.

"That's the first time you've said my name."

"I-is it?" Roman looked away, the pink returning to his cheeks.

"It's alright, I don't mind."

They both looked down to see an unconscious Mercury on the floor with blood leaking from his nose. Roman bent down and grabbed his cane, debating whether to kill the boy or not. Ruby saw in his eyes the hatred that he felt and shook her head.

"Don't do it."

"Red, he hurt you. More than once."

"That doesn't give you the right to do it."

"I'm a criminal, my rights are long gone."

"Just because you're a criminal, doesn't mean you have to act like one all the time! You're better than that! I know you are!"

"Red..." Roman sighed, "I've killed lots of people before, why should he be any different?"

"Because I'm asking you not to!" Ruby stood in front of the man, her silver eyes showing determination.

"Damnit Red..." Roman put his hand to his face, letting out another sigh, "What am I gonna do with you?" He turned towards the door, stopping outside of it and turning back to look at Ruby. "C'mon, Red. We don't want your team worrying about you again, do we?"

Ruby smiled, glancing once more at Mercury's form on the floor before skipping over to join Roman. After they were both outside of the warehouse, Ruby turned to the man next to her.

"Torchwick..." A slight blush covered her cheeks as she averted her gaze to the ground. Roman stopped and looked down at her, slight amusement on his features.

"Yes, Red?"

"Th-thank you... For saving me..." Ruby twisted her fingers together in front of her, causing Roman to smile.

Such a cutie... He reached forward and ruffled her hair, "Anytime, Red." She looked up at him, her blush deepening as she saw his smile. "Now, let's get you a new outfit so you can return to your school, alright?"

Ruby nodded, "Yeah."

They both started walking back towards Vale, Ruby sticking to Roman's side. He dared not turn his gaze away from her. Roman swore that he wouldn't let anything like this happen again. He promised himself that he'd protect her, no matter what. _I won't let anything hurt you, Ruby._

It was at that moment that Roman realized it. This little huntress has worked her way into his heart. He hated to admit it, but she'd started to grow on him a little. She may have been an annoying pest to him in the past, always trying to be the hero, but she was still a person. A cute, friendly, adorkable, and caring person. But even so, he was a criminal. A cold blooded killer who committed the worst of crimes. He had no place in her heart, and he knew it. She was a hero, and he was a villain. But part of him still wanted to make it work. For now, he'd stick by her. _I'll take care of you, little Red. Don't you worry._

* * *

 ** _-shudder-_**

 ** _That was so awkward to write._**

 ** _Aaaaaaaaaaanyway, review time, yaaaaaaaaay~!_**

 ** _Nameless Panda: I love puns :3 so there will be more of those, don't worry!_**

 ** _Nox Dracul: I don't understand how Ruby's bed is staying up! It's defying the laws of physics D:!_**

 ** _MidnightRoyalty: Yeh, there will be more RWBY Chibi jokes, don't worry ^_~! Also, YOU LUCKY BASTARD! You get to be the beta reader for Fated Ink ;N;! TELL THAT AUTHOR TO UPDATE ALREADY! I NEED MOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEE!_**

 ** _Sandersonreader: NO. STOP. WE DON'T TALK ABOUT THAT. EVER. EEEVVVEEERRRRRR!_**

 ** _-curls up on the floor-_**

 ** _-tries not to cry-_**

 ** _-cries a lot-_**

 ** _DarthMaine: Perhaps... Perhaps not... (That's my second favourite show/manga OUO!)_**

 ** _I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Leave a review, cause those make me very happy!_**

 ** _If you haven't already, you should check out my YouTube channel for other RWBY related stoof! The channel is... Wait for it... Rosewick! (OMG, NO WAY! WHO WOULD HAVE GUESSED?!)_**

 ** _I love all you little munchkins :3!_**

 ** _Rosewick out ^_~!_**


	7. A Date!

_***Awkwardly shuffles into the room***_

 _ **So uhh... It's been a while since I've written anything for this story, huh?**_

 _ **I've been busy with school, I should graduate and start college in January ^^! Hopefully... Maybe...**_

 _ **Anyway, I've been suffering from this terrible thing called writers block, but then my favourite author on here posted a new chapter, and I read it and was like "OMG INSPIRATION OUO!" and then this happened.**_

 _ **Well, I hope you all enjoy this chapter! I made it a little longer than my other chapters since I made you all wait so long.**_

 _ **Trigger Warnings: Roman's sass and bad words (what a meanie)**_

* * *

Chapter 7: A Date?!

Ruby and Roman walked down the streets of vale, the girl wearing his coat while he wore his previous disguise. They stopped at a small outlet store that sold clothing and started looking around. Roman found it amusing to watch the small girl as she ran over to the red clothing and started sifting through it. _Of course, she'd want something red._ He snickered as he imagined her wearing green. She'd probably look like an elf, given how short she was. A small little red and green elf.

The girl looked up at Roman as he snickered, lost in thought. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing! Don't worry about it." The man turned away and walked over to the green clothing, leaving the small huntress behind with a confused expression. She shrugged and returned to her hunt for clothing.

After a few minutes, Ruby had found a cute outfit. She went over to Roman and told him that she was going to go try it on, but before she left he held out a small green dress to her.

"Mind trying this on for me?"

"Why? Green's not really my colour…"

"Well, it doesn't hurt to try new things now, does it Red?" He smiled as she squinted at him.

Ruby slowly reached forward and grabbed the dress, wondering what he was planning, before turning and heading towards the changing room. Roman followed her and waited outside of the stall while she changed, stifling a laugh as he imagined a little elf Ruby packing up presents for children. After a moment, she emerged from the stall wearing a bright green dress that flared out a bit from the waist down. It was a strapless dress and it only went down to her knees, causing the girl to feel rather exposed in it. She looked up at Roman and shot him a questioning look.

"How does it look?"

Roman turned away and covered his mouth while his body trembled with contained laughter. Sure enough, Ruby looked like a little jolly elf. Her deep red hair contrasted with the bright green dress perfectly, her silver eyes reminding him of little bells that people would often decorate with during the holidays. He could almost picture the little pointy hat and ears on her head.

"What? What's so funny?! Romaaannnnn!" She slumped her shoulders, a blush making itself known on her face as the man turned away from her.

He slowly turned back around to answer her, but as soon as he saw her again he busted into a loud fit of laughter. His body folded over as he clutched his stomach, trying desperately to control his laughing. Ruby on the other hand blushed even harder, wondering why he was laughing so hard.

After his laughing died down a little, he looked back at Ruby. She was standing there with her arms crossed over her chest and a pouty face on. "Sorry, Red. It's just that you look like a cute little elf wearing that dress." He chuckled once more.

"What?!" Ruby quickly turned towards a mirror. Upon seeing her reflection, her face turned as bright as a tomato. "What the heck?! _Romaaaaaannnnn_! You did this on purpose, didn't you?!" She spun around, her face a mixture of anger and embarrassment.

"Well, I won't deny it." He managed to speak between his laughs.

"You're such a meanie! I'm changing!" She stomped back into the changing room and shut the door, the click of the lock following.

"She's an angry little elf, isn't she?" Roman chuckled again, finally settling down from his laughing fit.

"Shut up! You're so mean!"

"Ah, Red. It's all in good fun!"

"Yeah, fun for _you_!"

"Well, how could I pass up an opportunity like that? That was priceless!"

"You're still a butt." Ruby emerged from the changing room again, this time wearing a simple black skirt that flowed freely down to her knees, and a long sleeved red shirt that tucked into the skirt. She still had on her stockings and previous boots, along with her signature red cape. The green dress was draped over her arm, however she quickly threw it over towards Roman. He caught it and chuckled once more, heading over to put it back where it belongs. Ruby grabbed the man's coat from the dressing room along with her old clothing while Roman walked over to the register with a wallet in hand.

As she approached the counter, Roman grabbed her old clothing and the coat and placed them on the counter. "Can you dispose of these, sir?" The old man behind the counter, who strangely resembled the man at the cookie shop, nodded and put the clothing in a box behind the counter. Roman gestured to Ruby and explained, "She'll be wearing this out. What's the amount?" The man calculated the total as it showed up on a small number pad by the register. Roman reached into his wallet and pulled out some lien, placing it on the counter and smiling at the elder. "Keep the change." He grabbed Ruby's hand and led her out of the shop.

Once outside, she spoke up, "You just disposed of your coat…"

"Eh, I can get another one. Plus, I have a spare at home for those occasions that it gets dirty while fighting you and your team."

"Speaking of which… I'm not wearing stolen clothes, am I?"

"Red, you watched me pay for those right in front of you…" Roman glanced down at the girl.

"Yeah, but how do I know you didn't use stolen money?" She squinted up at him as he laughed softly.

"Not all my money is stolen, Red. I do a few honest jobs here and there."

"Really? That's good, I'm proud of you!"

"I never said those jobs were for honest people, though." Ruby scowled at the man while he winked at her.

"You're a terrible person."

"It comes with the job, Red. Now, are you in the mood for some food? Cause I'm hungry as hell." Roman started looking around for a food shop.

"Don't say that, that's bad!"

He looked down at the huntress in surprise. "Say what?"

"You know… H. E. Double L."

"Oh my Dust. Ruby, hell isn't a bad word."

"Yes it is…"

"Oh? And what if I said, let see… Fuck? Shit? Bastard?"

Ruby quickly covered her ears to prevent herself from hearing such vulgar language. "Stooopppp! Those are all so bad!"

"Geez, Red. You really are something." Roman smiled and grabbed the girl's hand again, leading her down the road to a small burger joint.

A small blush crept onto her face as he held her hand, and she quickly looked away as they approached the building. As they entered the smell of grease and cooking meat met their noses. Ruby's stomach growled loudly, causing her pink cheeks to get brighter. Roman grinned as he asked for a table. _Geez, what a cutie._ The waitress seated the two at a small table, handing them both menus and taking their drink orders.

"I'll have a Dr. Dust."

"Um… I'll get a strawberry milkshake, please."

The waitress wrote down their orders and nodded, heading back to the kitchen.

"Gotta get your dose of milk for the day, huh?" Roman glanced at her from across the table while she made a pouty face.

"Sh-shut up…"

"Oh, Red. I'm just teasing you."

"Yeah, I know. And you're being a meanie pants…" Ruby grabbed her menu and hid her face with it while she looked for something to eat. Roman chuckled and looked over his own menu.

After a few minutes of silence, the waitress returned with their drinks. "Have you both decided on what to eat yet?"

Roman glanced at Ruby, who averted her gaze. "I-I'll take a regular burger with swiss cheese."

"I'll have a grilled cheese sandwich."

After writing down the orders, the waitress took the menus and headed off again.

"Grilled cheese? What are you, five?" Ruby snickered.

"Hey, let a man have his grilled cheese. There's nothing childish about it."

"Say what you want, it's still a kid's meal."

"I think I deserve a break from being an adult every now and then."

"Speaking of which, how old _are_ you, anyway?"

"Old enough to not have a bedtime. Speaking of which, what time should I have you back by? Don't want you to be cranky in the morning from missing your sleepy sleep."

Ruby scrunched up her face in anger, "I-I don't have a bedtime! Any time is fine!" She crossed her arms and looked to the side.

"If you say so." Roman shrugged and sipped his drink, Ruby doing the same with hers. "Hey, is that any good?"

She looked up at the man in front of her, "Of course it's good. If it wasn't, I wouldn't have ordered it."

"Oh? Are we finally learning to use sass?"

"Well, you use it all the time. I just thought I'd return the favour!"

"True." Roman reached forward and grabbed Ruby's milkshake from the table.

"H-hey! That's mine!" Ruby protested. The man ignored her, though, and took a big sip from the straw.

"Hmm… That's pretty good, actually." He took another sip before placing it back down in front of the girl.

"Well, then you can get your own next time! Leave my shake alone!" She quickly snatched it up and took a sip from it before blushing heavily. _I… I just…_

"You okay there, Red?" Roman raised an eyebrow as she girl slammed her drink down on the table and shook her head.

"Yup! I'm fine! Just fine!" Despite her words, the girl was reeling inside. _I-I just used the same straw that Roman did! Oh Dust, what's wrong with me?! H-his mouth was on it… And then mine was! Does that count as a first kiss? Yes? No? Maybe? Oh man, this is so embarrassing!_ The huntress was filled with relief as their food got there, instantly chomping into her burger to avoid having to talk.

"Geez, were you that hungry?" Roman took a bite out of his sandwich while Ruby quickly nommed her burger.

…

After they finished their food, Roman took his wallet out again.

"For such a small girl, you have quite a large appetite. You should have told me you were so hungry."

"W-well, I didn't want to be a pain."

"Pfft! Nonsense." He counted out the amount of lien and placed it in the check. "Let's get going, it's getting late."

"Okey-doke." They both got up and headed out of the restaurant, walking side by side down the streets of vale.

Roman thought for a moment, hesitating, before asking the girl, "Red, do you have any plans for tomorrow?"

"Yeah, we have a field trip tomorrow. We'll be shadowing a professional hunter! It'll be our first time out in the field! Oh, it's going to be so exciting~!" Ruby swooned slightly as she imagined how much fun tomorrow would be.

"I see. How long will the trip be?"

"Well, that depends on which job we pick. It could be just one day, or it could be a week. Why?"

Roman turned his head to the side, avoiding Ruby's gaze as an ever so slight blush found its way onto his face. "No reason. I was merely curious."

Ruby shrugged as they continued their path to the school. Upon reaching the gates of Beacon, they stopped.

"Well, I guess this is where we part ways." Roman looked down at the huntress, noticing a slight twinge of sadness on her face.

"Yeah…"

A short moment of silence followed before roman took a pen out of his pocket. "Give me your arm."

"Huh? Why?"

"Just do it." He reached forward and grabbed her arm, rolling her sleeve up to her elbow and clicking the pen. Ruby stifled a giggle as he wrote on her arm, the feeling of it tickling her. "There." He stood up and clicked the pen once more, putting it away in his pocket once more.

Ruby looked down at her arm and noticed that he wrote a few numbers on it. "What's this?"

"My number." He looked to the side, "If… If you run into trouble on your mission… Give me a call, okay?"

"Huh?" Ruby was confused, not really sure what he was getting at.

"If you ever get into a troubling situation and need help, just… You… I'll come to help you." Roman scratched his head awkwardly.

"Oh, sure thing! Thanks, Roman!" Ruby smiled as she pulled her sleeve back down. "Hey, hand me the pen."

"Okay?" Roman reached into his pocket to pull the pen out again, handing it to Ruby. She quickly took it and clicked it, grabbing his arm and writing on it.

"There!" She held the pen out to him and he put it away, looking at his arm. "That's my number! Now, we can help each other out! So, give me a call if you get into trouble, okay?" Ruby smiled innocently.

 _Geez… She doesn't have a clue._ Roman smiled at the adorable girl before him. "Okay. I will." He reached forward and ruffled her hair, "Alrighty, Red. You should probably head in now. We don't want your team to get worried."

"Oh, right!" Ruby paused for a moment, blushing heavily.

"Red? What's wro-?" Roman was interrupted as the girl quickly flung herself forward and wrapped her arms around him. He stood there in shock as she pulled away and stood there awkwardly.

"Well, bye!" She then sped off, using her semblance, towards the school. A few rose petals fluttered down to the ground in front of Roman as he continued to stand there in shock. Did she just… Hug him?

The man turned on his heel and slowly made his way back into town. Before he could get very far from the gates of Beacon, a flash of pink and white appeared next to him. A scroll suddenly flashed in his face as he read the message.

 _How was the daaaaaaaaaate~?_ _;)_

"Dust damnit, Neo. It wasn't a date!" He continued to stalk forward until the bright screen was shoved into his face once more.

 _Of course it was, silly! You took the lady out for a new outfit and then a romantic dinner! How sweet~!_

"I'd hardly call a burger joint a 'romantic dinner'… And she needed the new outfit, I was just helping her out."

The short woman quickly hopped in front of him and put her hands on her hips, scrunching up her face in annoyance. She quickly started to sign out to the man.

 _Oh no, I'm not that easy to fool. You even gave her your number! If you didn't want to go out with her again, you wouldn't have done that._

"I… I just did that in case Mercury gives her a hard time again. Geez…" Roman looked off to the side as Neo squinted at him.

 _Whatever. Mom wants you to hurry up and get back to the base. She said that looking after the White Fang isn't her job, it's yours._

Roman groaned and slumped his shoulders. "Really? She's the one that got all those stupid mutts to work for her anyway…"

Neo shrugged and continued to walk alongside Roman as they headed towards Mountain Glenn.

oOoOoOo

Ruby nearly skipped back to her room as her entire body was filled with joy. She honestly didn't know why she was so happy. Roman gave her his number. Why would that make her so ecstatic? He's a criminal after all. But some part of her knew, deep down, that she enjoyed having him around today. Not to mention, if it wasn't for him, she didn't even want to think about what would have happened with Mercury. Speaking of which, she wondered if he had made it back to the school okay.

The small girl twisted the doorknob to her room and slowly opened the door. "I'm baaaack!"

Weiss was the only one in the room. She looked up from her homework as Ruby entered, "About time. Geez."

"Heh. Sorry." Ruby scratched the back of her head as she sat down on Weiss' bed and removed her shoes and hood.

Weiss turned in her chair and raised an eyebrow, "What's with the outfit? Weren't you wearing something different when you left?"

"Oh! Uhh… Well, I had gotten a soda from a vending machine while we were out, and I forgot that you're not supposed to open it right after it drops… And soda kinda spewed out all over me." As she said this, she started changing into her pj's.

The white-clad huntress sighed, putting her fingers to her temple, "You're such a dolt. You finally go out on a date, and you mess it up like _that_?"

Ruby stopped mid-way of climbing into her bed. A bright red tint engulfed her face. "A date?!"

"Well, yeah. You went on a date today, right?"

"N-no!" Ruby shook her head frantically, "A date, with _him_?! W-we were just hanging out! Y'know, as friends!"

"Geez, Ruby, you're so clueless…" Weiss shook her head slowly, "You went out with a man today. That's basically a date."

"Weeeiiiissss! It's not like that! Really!" Ruby climbed into her bed and covered her face with her pillow.

As Weiss watched the girl, she noticed something that caused her eyes to widen. She quickly jumped up and walked over to the bunk bed, grabbing Ruby's arm and looking at it. "You got his number?!"

Ruby squeaked and yanked her arm back, "Wh-wha-what?! No! It's not what you think!"

"The evidence is all there, Ruby! Stop trying to hide it!"

The red huntress groaned and covered herself with her blanket, trying desperately to change the subject. "S-so, where are Blake and Yang?"

Weiss sighed, knowing what Ruby was up to. "They went to the library together. Blake said she wanted to check out a new book."

"She couldn't go alone?"

"Well, Yang couldn't sit still knowing that her little sister was out on her first date, so Blake dragged her along."

"Uuggghhhh! I'm going to sleep!" Ruby buried herself deeper into her mattress, squeezing her eyes shut and hugging her pillow.

"Whatever." Weiss rolled her eyes and sat back down at her desk, resuming her previous studying. "Good night, Ruby."

"Night."

* * *

 _ **Heh... Elf Ruby.**_

 ** _So, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter ^^! It's probably gonna be a while before I post a new one. I need to plan out my next chapter and events that I want to happen after that. I tend to start a new story, then just write whatever pops into my head. I mean, I know where I want the story to initially go, and what I want to happen, I just have no idea how to get it there ^^'..._**

 ** _Aaaaaaaaanywho, onto reviews!_**

 ** _*Opens up a new tab and looks at all the reviews*_**

 ** _*Slowly sinks into chair*_**

 ** _* has stopped responding.*_**

 ** _PattyPOP: You are such a cutie!_**

 ** _Lonessa 8D: *Snatches the cookies away* No! Those are MINE! o3o Also, the girl with the pink hair is an OC of mine, but she'll have very minimal impact on the story, and she'll rarely pop up until WAAAAAAAAAAAAY later down the line ^^_**

 ** _MidnightRoyalty: That stuff normally doesn't weird me out either. I mean, I'm okay with reading it, but writing it is a whole different story._**

 ** _Soullessheart1265: I-... I'm not sure if your comment makes me happy or scared o3o'... Maybe a little of both._**

 ** _Jimmy: *Shrugs* Who knows? Maybe... Maybe not? *Is trying to act all mysterious, but in reality hasn't thought that far ahead*_**

 ** _CrackPairingLover: You'd be amazed at how much a few comments can motivate someone. I was going through my email yesterday morning and saw all of your reviews and was like "Huh... I'm gonna finish this chapter! ^^"_**

 ** _Well, now that that's over, how are you all feeling about Volume 4? I'm LOVING it so far!_**

 ** _We finally get to see Blake's family! I'm loving her dad so much xD! Also, does anyone else think that Klein is the cutest little munchkin ever? (Not to mention he's voiced by Michael J. Tatum! [Kyoya-Senpai and Sebby!]) I'm also starting to feel kinda bad for Cinder... Kinda._**

 ** _And last thing: Is anyone else completely creeped out by Tyrian? D: He scares me o3o_**

 ** _..._**

 ** _I'm currently in the process of writing another story, called "A Slight Change"! It's a request from one of my lovely little munchkins, and revolves around the ships WhiteRose and Arkos! A fun little twist is that the story has Fem!Jaune, Male!Pyrrha, and Male!Weiss. You all should check it out if you're interested!_**

 ** _And as usual, if you haven't already been to my YouTube channel, Rosewick, you definitely should pay it a visit! I have other RWBY related things on there for those of you who are total RWBY addicts like me! ^^'_**

 ** _Rosewick out ^_~!_**


	8. A Slight Inconvenience

_**Heya, Rosewick here!**_

 _ **Wow, I haven't seen you guys since last year!**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Sorry.**_

 _ **Here's a short little chapter for you all, because I was in the mood to write for once! ^^**_

 _ **Enjoy, and I'll talk to you all again at the end of the chapter!**_

 _ **Trigger Warnings: Foul language and Zwei peeing on ruins.**_

* * *

Chapter 8: A Slight Inconvenience

"Mmmnn..." Ruby woke to see her dog Zwei standing up suddenly and looking around. "Huh? Zwei, it's late. Go back to bed..." She was about to close her eyes again when Zwei suddenly took off running. "Zwei! _Zwei!_ Ugh!" The small huntress grabbed Crescent Rose and took off after the small corgi, watching out for any Grimm that may be present in the deserted wasteland. Mountain Glenn. This place gave her the creeps. She knew that it was her idea to come here, however that didn't stop her from feeling uneasy about the whole thing. They were camping out in a ghost town, filled with the lost souls of hundreds of humans. People who couldn't fight for themselves. It was people like them that Ruby wanted to protect.

"Zwei! Zwei, where are you? Zwei! Huh?" Ruby turned to see Zwei doing his doggy business on some nearby ruins and rolled her eyes, "Zwei, this is a wasteland! You literally could have done that anywhere!"

 _"Bark!"_

"What was that?"

Ruby's eyes widened as she heard the unfamiliar voice and she grabbed Zwei, taking cover behind some ruins. They both stayed silent as they listened.

"What was what?"

"I thought I heard a Beowolf or something."

"Hmph. Let's just finish our patrol and get back to base. This place gives me the creeps..."

Ruby peeks over the ruins to see two White Fang guards walking away. She quickly, but quietly, followed behind them, taking cover wherever she found a suitable spot. As they approached the corner of the last building, Ruby nearly lost her balance. She waved her arms frantically, looking very comedic, before finally regaining her sense of direction and crouching behind the wall.

She grabbed Zwei and held him up so that he could see around the corner of the building, "Did they go in yet? One bark means yes."

After a few moments, the sound of a door closing shut echoed through the streets and Zwei let out a small _"Bark!"_

Ruby stood up and praised the dog, "Oh! This is it! This is it!" She grabbed her scroll from her skirt pocket and tried to group call her teammates, however the bad signal in the wasteland prevented the call from going through. "Awh man! Come on, we gotta get the others!"

The small huntress and her dog start running down the street, however the asphalt beneath them suddenly gives way, sinking down and caving in. Ruby barely managed to grasp the ledge of the hole, catching Zwei before he could fall in as well. She used all of her might to throw the dog back up onto the street, attempting to pull herself up before the piece of asphalt that she was holding broke off. Zwei could be heard barking as the small red huntress fell into the caverns below.

Ruby landed hard on the roof of an ancient building. She rubbed her head, jumping up as soon as a door opened in front of her. _This isn't good!_ Two White Fang guards bust through the door holding guns, one of them oddly wearing glasses over his mask.

"Freeze!"

"Where did she come from?"

The guards took a step towards the girl, causing her to step backwards. She had a mini heart attack as she nearly stepped off the edge of the building, but caught her balance.

"You're a long way from home, little girl."

 _Alright, everything's fine. You can take them!_ Ruby reached behind her to grab her scythe, however she felt nothing. While she panicked on the inside, one of the White Fang guards grabbed a hold of her arm.

"Stranger danger!" Ruby yanked her arm back and used her other one to send a punch into the man's stomach. The punch had little to no effect on the man, who just became annoyed, and he sent his own fist flying towards the girl's face. It made contact, hard, knocking Ruby down to the floor.

"The boss is gonna want to see this one..."

The last thing Ruby saw was a black boot speeding towards her face before everything went black.

oOoOoOo

The two White Fang guards dragged the unconcious girl through the underground cavern. All around them, White Fang members were working, doing several tasks that probably weren't from the kindness of their hearts. The guards approached a train car, still holding up the limp girl, and one called out.

"Hey boss! Found something you might want to see!"

From inside of the railcar, a very annoyed and sarcastic voice could be heard, "Is it good or bad, Perry? Because let me tell ya, I have haaad a day..."

"Uhh... It's a little girl?"

Roman leaned out of the doorway, spotting Ruby and freezing. He couldn't seem to make up his mind between worry and frustration as various thoughts raced through his head. He quickly masked all emotions, feigning an annoyed look, "That would be bad."

"So, what should we do with her?"

"Well, Perry, you give her to me, and then you _get back to work_." Roman squinted his eyes at the two men, jumping out of the cart and grabbing a hold of the small girl, slinging her over his shoulder.

"Yes Sir!" The guards left immediately, returning to their previous work.

Roman sighed, however he couldn't drop the act just yet. He hauled the small huntress through the caverns, finally stopping at one of the larger buildings near the back. Upon opening the door, two men came into view.

One was a large man with a full face mask and a large chainsaw on his back. The other was a tall and slender man in a black suit. He had on a Grimm mask that only covered the top half of his face, two dark black bull horns protruding from the top of his skull. Both of the men turned to the sound of the door opening, the slender one putting his hand on the hilt of his katana. When they saw who entered, they relaxed, only to tense back up when they caught sight of the girl.

"Roman, what is this?"

"Well, Adam, I've kinda got a lot to do at the moment and I _really_ don't have time to watch over this one. Mind keeping an eye on her for me?"

"Are you serious? We're not your fucking babysitters, Roman."

"Well, she's not a baby, as far as I can tell. I guess it's not babysitting then, is it?"

"We don't have time for your games. Just waste her."

Roman took in an annoyed breath, "Trust me, I'd _love_ to do just that, however I have strict orders from the boss to have her remain unharmed. Now if you'd kindly _kidsit_ her for me, I'd greatly appreciate it. I am your superior, after all."

He walked over and sat Ruby down in a chair by the far wall of the room, turning to the larger man, "Lenny, was it?"

" _Lieutenant_."

"Larry, got it. I'll be needing you, as her friends are bound to show up any time. We're leaving early, be ready in five." Roman turned on his heel and left the building, sighing heavily. _Adam. Not the best choice for babysitter, however he'll have to make due. But if he so much as touches a single hair on her body, the White Fang will need to find a replacement leader._

Shaking his head, Roman got back into work mode. He had a train to catch, after all.

* * *

 _ **Heh, I keep internally laughing at the thought of Adam being a babysitter. It's honestly not that funny, it's just so out of character and silly for him.**_

 _ **Aaaaaaaaanyway, the next chapter is soup-er fun! I'm almost done with it, and I'll wait until maaaaaaaybe next week to post it. Gotta keep you all in suspense after all ^_~**_

 _ **OH, BEFORE I FORGET! I have a message for you all:**_

 _ **Jacques Schnee is a bag of dicks, pass it on.**_

 _ **:3**_

 _ **Reviews!**_

 _ **MidnightRoyalty: Grilled cheeses are fucking delicious ^_~ I have a special little griddle pan that I make grilled cheese sandwiches with, and they're SOOOOOOOOO good! Also, where's the reference from? I kid you not, I have no idea D: I just thought that strawberry shakes fit her.**_

 ** _I hope we get a small spinoff series (kinda like RWBY Chibi) where it's just Team STRQ and their crazy adventures. And I know that feeling, with Weiss and Blake. I went back today and started watching Volume 3 all over again, and the interactions between Winter and Weiss have a whole new meaning to them. I was like O3O woah._** ** _This is the longest response to a review ever, but I'm almost done here ^_~!_**

 ** _I like his beard too :3 He has certainly gotten sexier-IMEANWHAT? And Tyrian has started to grow on me a little, I'll admit. Especially after the very surprising "You BITCH!". And yes, time flies. If only the volume could last forever :c_**

 ** _OKAY! That's done ^^'..._**

 ** _CrackPairingLover: I always laugh a little when I see your name. I'm like "Well, that explains why he's reading this crack pair fanfic." You're awesome, btw. And yaaaaaaaas, Ruby is cute, elf Ruby is cute, Rosewick is fucking CUTE!_**

 ** _D C JoKeR H S: CUTE! :D_**

 ** _Well, that's the end of reviews! (Lol, have fun reading that Midnight :P)_**

 ** _I have a new fanfic that I'm working on! This one's gonna be HUGE! I've been planning it out for MONTHS! I currently have 8 chapters written for it, however I've only posted the introduction for now. I plan for it to be long and intricate, so it'll be a while before I start posting chapters. Hint hint: It's a fantasy AU! (And it has Rosewick~!)_**

 ** _If you guys are interested, go ahead and check out the introduction!_**

 ** _And, if you haven't already, you should check out my YouTube channel, Rosewick!_**

 ** _I've also recently made a Tumblr account (because of MattTheMammothRider, who posts these hilarious RWBY recaps xD!) and I've started posting scenes/inspirational pictures to help me along with my new fanfic. I've also started making noseless RWBY pictures when I get bored, so be prepared for those, cause they're freaking hilarious. They kill me everytime I see them xD!_**

 ** _Wow, this is a really long AN... I'll see you all next chapter! I hope you enjoyed this one!_**

 ** _HAVE A NICE DAY!_**

 ** _Rosewick out ^_~!_**


	9. The Stranger With Horns

_**Heya! Rosewick here with the real chapter!**_

 _ **Sorry to everyone who read the April Fools Day chapter! I love you all!**_

 _ **I was going to update this a few days ago, but I had a small neck injury (I cracked my neck, like I've done a million times before, and ended up tearing one of the muscles UnU) and it was too painful to try and do certain things. Luckily, I've been making a fast recovery, and I can almost turn my neck fully to the side again! Yaaaaaaaaaaaay! (Never again will I doubt what my chiropractor tells me!)**_

 _ **Back to the story, though.**_

 _ **This chapter was interesting to write. I don't think I've quite got Adam's character down packed yet, as we've only seen a few scenes with him in the show, however, I tried my best ^^'.**_

 _ **I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and I'll see you again at the end!**_

 _ **Trigger Warnings: Adam's foul language.**_

* * *

Chapter 9: The Stranger with Horns

"Uuggghhhh... My head..." Ruby rubbed her head with her hand, her eyes opening slightly. "Weiss, what happened?" When she realized that she wasn't at the camping spot they set up, her eyes shot open and she jumped off the chair she was on. Dizziness overtook the girl and she wobbled slightly, the edges of her vision going black as she struggled to balance.

Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders to steady her. "Weiss?" When she turned around and saw that it was indeed _not_ Weiss, she quickly raised her hands and pushed herself away. Reaching behind her and once more realizing that she didn't have Crescent Rose, she raised her fists. "Who are you?"

The man with the mask simply stood there and watched her. Without saying a word, he crossed the room and sat in his own chair, his gaze not leaving her.

"U-um...?" Ruby lowered her hands and watched the man. _Is he looking at me? That stupid mask is in the way, I can't tell!_ The girl slowly walked back over to her chair from before, yet the man's head never turned. She then walked to the opposite side of the room, however, his head still didn't turn. _Are his eyes even open?_

Ruby looked around the room, which was mostly empty, save for a few maps pinned to the wall, a table, and some chairs. A small ways ahead of Ruby was a large metal door that she assumed lead out of the building. No sooner than she took one step towards the door did she hear the sound of sliding metal. The man was suddenly in front of her, his blade unsheathed and aimed directly at her heart. She instantly froze.

He nodded his head to the side, indicating for her to sit back down. Ruby slumped her shoulders slightly, shuffling back over to her lonely chair and plopping down in it with her arms crossed. "Meanie..."

After sitting back down, the man also returned to his chair. _So he_ is _watching me. Wait, where am I, anyway?_

"Um... Where are we?" No response. "What am I doing in here?" No response. "Are... Are you mute?" Once again, no response. Ruby sighed and slouched down in the chair.

After only a few minutes, Ruby had sighed over twenty times and adjusted her position in the chair several times. Her boredom was very apparent, she wasn't even trying to hide it, yet the man remained silent. Watching.

Ruby finally turned her back to the man, leaning her head against the wall and slowly taking her scroll out of her pocket. "Whatever, I'm going back to sleep." As she said that, she hit the call button to once again try and contact her team. Another low signal message popped up and she internally cursed. She tried to call Jaune next, hoping that maybe it would work since _one_ of them had signal. A wave of hope washed through the small huntress as the call actually went through, and Jaune picked up.

 _"Hel-"_

The phone was suddenly snatched away from behind Ruby and she watched with horror as it was thrown forcefully to the side, colliding with the wall on the opposite side of the room and shattering into a million little pieces of glass.

"What the heck!" Ruby angrily stood up and whisked around the face the man. "I just got a new one and you went and broke it! _You_ are going to have to pay for a new one, Mister!"

"Sit down."

"No! I'm not going to sit down! You just broke my scroll and now you want me to sit?!"

He halfway unsheathed his blade, the red metal threatening the young girl. "Sit. Down."

"Grrrrh!" Ruby activated her semblance and was instantly at the door, rose petals fluttering to the foor where she previously stood.

"Wha-?" The man turned to see the girl yanking the door open and running out into the cavern. " _Dust damnit_!" He took off after her, chasing her along the train tracks. Thankfully, Roman had already taken off with the bombs, and the whole place was empty.

Ruby had no idea where she was or where she was going. She just kept running, finally turning away from the tracks and weaving between the many buildings occupying the cavern. Every now and then she'd activate her semblance, getting farther and leaving random rose trails for Adam to follow and get lost with. After turning another corner, Ruby bolted into one of the empty buildings and ducked below the window. She was far enough ahead that he didn't see her, and the rose petals leading down the path that she had already taken should throw him off. Ruby listened, breathing in shallow and quiet breaths, despite her burning lungs, and heard the man pass by the building.

She let out a small sigh, still trying to catch her breath, and curled up in the shadows of the building. _I'll have to wait until he gives up. But how long will that be? If only he hadn't broken my scroll..._

In the distance, not too far away, she could hear the man talking to someone. "I don't know! She took off running, leaving freaking rose petals everywhere!" Silence, "Dust damnit, Roman! This isn't my fucking problem!"

 _Roman?! Is this guy working with Torchwick?_ Ruby stood up and walked towards the window of the building to peek at the man, accidentally stepping on a piece of broken glass as she did so. A chrunch echoed through the cavern, causing the man to turn around and spot her.

"Nevermind, I found her."

Instead of waiting for him to come to her, Ruby slammed the door to the building open and walked out into the open. She held her hand out in front of her and put on her bravest face, "Let me speak to him."

"Whatever." The man threw the scroll at her and she barely managed to catch it. She glanced at the man, a bit surprised. "You have five minutes."

She nodded and turned away, putting the scroll up to her ear.

"Torchwick?"

"Wha- Red?!" The voice on the other end sounded annoyed and surprised, "How did you-"

"Torchwick, what's going on?! Where am I, and who is this guy?!"

"Red, calm down, alright?"

"Calm down?! _CALM DOWN?!_ How can I be calm when my team is out there fighting without their leader?! They're probably worried sick!"

"They have that teacher guy with them, they'll be fine Red. Besides, groups operate without their leader all the time. Just look at the White Fang! They don't have their leader babysit them with everything they do."

"A group of Huntresses and the White Fang are nothing alike! Besides, we're still in-" Ruby paused, thinking over what Roman had said, "How did you know he was a teacher?"

"Huh?"

"You said they had a teacher with them. How'd you know he's a teacher?"

"Lucky guess? Besides you told me yesterday about your whole 'field trip' thingy."

"Yes, but I said we'd be with a professional huntsman, not a teacher."

"Look, Red, I'm on my way there now. Just sit tight and don't piss off Adam."

"Adam?" Ruby turned around at the same time that the man looked up. She quickly turned back around in embarrassment, "Yeah, okay. By the way, he owes me a scroll, cause he broke mine."

"Did he really?"

"Yup."

"Damnit... I'll get you a new one, just... Stay there, would you?"

"Fine. But you better tell me everything when you get here."

"Alright, alright. Give the scroll back to Adam."

Ruby walked over towards Adam, holding out the scroll. He took it and swiftly brought it up to his ear.

"Got it. Oh, and you owe me one for this, _Torchdick_." He closed the scroll and shoved it in his pocket, turning towards Ruby. She froze up and averted her gaze awkwardly.

"So, u-um... I'm Ruby?" She held her hand out towards the man, who sighed and walked past her. "...Oookay then..." She spun around and followed him back to the building that she first woke up in.

Once back in the building, Ruby walked back over and sat in her chair, Adam sitting in his with his head in his hands.

"Sooooo... Your name is Adam?"

A loud sigh escaped from the man as he looked up at her, "Yes. Yes it is."

"That's cool..." An awkward silence filled the room before she spoke up again, "What's your last name?"

"Does it matter?"

"Well, I like to know who I'm talking with."

"Taurus. Adam Taurus. Now will you please be quiet?"

Ruby nodded, swinging her legs as she sat in her chair. After a few moments, she once more spoke up, "So, Adam. What's your favourite type of cookie?"

"What?"

"You know, cookies. What kind do you like?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I don't know! Just answer the question!"

"Ugh... I don't freaking know. Chocolate chip or something."

"Laaaaaaame."

"Excuse me?"

"Those are soooooo good, but sooooooooo original."

"Okay, fine. What's your favourite type?"

"Hmm... Cherry chocolate!" She threw her arms in the air as she said this, showing her excitement over the topic of sweets.

"Really? I've never tried those."

"WHAT?!" Ruby's eyes widened as she gawked at the man, "You've been missing so much! You poor, poor person!"

"Whatever, I don't need cookies anyway. They're for children."

"For children?! Cookies are for everyone! My mom used to make them all the time, and even adults loved them!"

"That's great."

Another awkward silence filled the room.

"So, what do you do in the scheme of things?"

"If you're asking me to tell you about any plans, save your breath."

"Geez, I just wanted to know what you do with your life."

"I could ask you the same thing."

"I'm a huntress!"

The man stared at her for a second before turning away and stifling his laughter.

"Whaaaaaaat? Why does everyone always laugh when I say that?!"

"Probably cause you don't look the part, Red." The door opened and in walked Roman, causing Ruby to perk up.

"Romaaaan~!" She once more threw her arms in the air.

"Sorry for the wait, it was difficult to travel while hunters were around every corner."

"Um... Why were there so many?"

"That's not important, Red. Oh, and Adam," Roman turned to the bull faunus, "Boss wants to see you. She's up in the plaza."

"Yeah, sure. Have fun watching the hyperactive _kid_. You owe me one."

"Actually, Adam, I owe you nothing. You _did_ break her scroll, which means we're even since you would have owed me for it."

Adam glared at Roman from under his mask, "Whatever." He swiftly got up and left the room, leaving the other two alone.

"So, I take it he's a villain too?"

Roman sighed, "Yes, Red. We're both villains."

"I feel so dirty. I just let a villain walk away..."

"Oh please, imagine how he feels. He just let a huntress go without a scratch."

"Huh. True. Now can you tell me what happened?"

Roman had spent the entire way back here thinking of a lie to tell Ruby, as he didn't want her to hate him. "Well, that right there was the leader of the White Fang."

"WHAT?! You've got to be kidding me! I just let him go and he's the one we've been searching for this whole time!"

"Calm down, would you?" Ruby glared at Roman, crossing her arms and waiting, "The White Fang launched an attack on Vale. I went up and made sure nobody in your team was hurt."

Ruby jumped out of the chair her face full of panic, "Vale was attacked?! Roman, how many people got hurt? How many people _died_?!"

"Look, nobody died! Only a few people were injured. I swear it."

Ruby looked on the verge of tears as she stared up at Roman. "You said that you made sure my team didn't get hurt... Where are they now?"

"They're at Beacon, most likely reporting your disappearance."

"I have to get back there!"

Ruby rushed towards the door, Roman desperately reaching his hand out to stop her in time.

"Red, WAIT!" The door flew open and she stepped out before he could grab her and she froze in the doorway.

Two people stood out in the open cavern, both of them having stopped what they were doing as they heard the door open. They both had an expression similar to a deer's caught in a headlight. Ruby instantly recognized the two, her blood running cold as one of them stood out more.

Standing a small distance away from her, were Emerald and Mercury.

* * *

 _ **Man, I haven't seen a cliff hanger this bad since Chapter 8 of Volume 4. *Cries internally***_

 ** _The most beautiful man ever lives! *Hugs a picture of Qrow on my laptop*_**

 ** _Anyway..._**

 _ **Lol, hey guys, guess what?**_

 _ **I'll bet you Adam's poop is just a bunch of bull shit.**_

 _ **Bu-dum-tsss!**_

 _ **Sorry. I couldn't help it. I was in the shower and I was coming up with a stupid joke to put in a diff fanfic, and I thought of that, and I couldn't stop laughing afterwards.**_

 _ **On to reviews!**_

 _ **D C JoKeR H S: I almost had something similar to that, but then I was like "eh naaaaaaaaaaah" :P**_

 _ **CrackPairingLover: All shall be explained in time... OuO**_

 _ **MidnightRoyalty: I LOVE EVERY ROSEWICK FIC BY THAT AUTHOR! I'D SACRIFICE CHILDREN FOR THEM TO UPDATE THEIR STORIES! (Not really, but you get the point!) Also, we now have proof that Whitley is actually Shitley. I really had hopes for him, I did. I wanted so badly to believe in him, but he ruined it, just like RT ruined my crack ship *cries*. Klein is best butler though, and I love him for being there for Weiss.**_

 _ **Megameatloaf: SAME! Rosewick is, and always will be, my trash!**_

 _ **Also, special thanks to those who decided not to kill me after I posted the April Fools chapter (I love you all for being such good sports)!**_

* * *

 _ **SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!**_

 ** _I'm working on a HUUUUUGGGEEE project! I'm putting together a fandub of RWBY Volume 1!_**

 ** _This is a project for all you RWBY fans out there ^_~! Voice auditions are being held on both Casting Call Club and Behind the Voice Actors! I would post the links on here, but I kinda can't! More information can be found on my YouTube channel, Rosewick, along with some of my voice impressions! The links to the auditions are in the description of the video!_**

 ** _If you guys feel like joining in on the fun, give it a go! No pressure, it's just for fun! (You better have fun if you do try out~!)_**

 ** _Anyway, that's all for now! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I'll be back with the next one soon!_**

 ** _Rosewick out ^_~!_**


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